Prompt: What did you learn about the problem, about the community, about yourself? How will the work you did in CODES relate to your remaining time at SIUE, to the career you are planning for yourself, and to the person you want to be?
There was only so much we as a research team could learn about the problem, which was that students of color in high school have higher reports of dropping out. Since none of us attended a high school in Alton, all we had was the data we found to support our mentoring initiative. As far as the community at the Alton Boys and Girls Club, I learned that the students there had more opportunities than I had expected. Apparently, many of them had the privilege to tour college campuses and learn about things outside of class which I thought was really nice because it was similar to what I was able to do once upon a time. Those that frequently went to the Club were for the most part engaged with conversations and activities that we presented, which led to me learning meaningful things about their lives and backgrounds. By the end of the mentorship program, I learned how capable I can be in settings where I’m seen as more of an authority figure to younger adults. I learned that I have good advice to share from some of the achievements I’ve earned, along with mistakes I have learned from. I imagine this experience will help me in numerous settings and in different ways. At SIUE, I can continue serving as a mentor to those around me, like in organizations I’m involved with, newer CODES cohorts, and so on. Since I would like to one day hold a high ranking position in my career, knowing how to communicate and be understanding to those I’ll oversee is something I will be great at because of similar skills I used in the mentorship program. As someone who is always looking for ways to improve and be the best version of myself, this opportunity to have a real impact on the lives of young adults helped me get closer to achieving that goal. It is something I will remember and talk about with others for a very long time.