As a first-year student at St. Lawrence University (SLU), I was eager to explore the opportunities at my fingertips when the academic year began. I had the privilege of starting my first year of college along with 16 other Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) students, with whom I lived on campus a month prior to August. The students and staff who were part of this program truly believed in its mission to equip students with the resources they need to succeed professionally and personally. Reflecting on my three years at SLU, I can attest to the immense impact HEOP had in unveiling the scholar I am today. Whether it was helping me find my passion to pursue advocacy for causes I am passionate about or removing the financial barrier to be off the grid and study in the Adirondacks for a semester, being a part of this close-knit group allowed me to prosper beyond the classroom.
Having the chance to talk to the people who will make the decisions that enabled HEOP to work for students like me was invigorating. It made me realize how much I am driven to be involved in creating lasting changes that benefit future generations.
During my first year at SLU, I joined our Thelomathesian student government with a friend as a way to get involved on campus, although I wasn’t too fond of the idea at first. However, after successful persuasion from another HEOP student, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the position of Senator for the whole year. Moreover, that spring semester, Bill, the director of our HEOP program, organized a group of students to represent our SLU HEOP cohort in Albany to congressional lawmakers and advocate for increased funding. Due to a couple of restrictions, we could only meet in person once, and the other years were virtual, but nonetheless, the experience was still special to me. I had yet to have a similar experience beforehand and was unsure of what to expect from it, but having the chance to talk to the people who will make the decisions that enabled HEOP to work for students like me was invigorating. I gradually learned that I was attracted to being involved in making changes that will live on after I am no longer on that team. I continued to pursue other ways to do so on campus through the La Sociedad club, being a HEOP summer mentor, and attending SLU Connect D.C., an alumni and career engagement program.
As a Future Leaders In Action fellow placed at South Bronx United (SBU), I have the unique chance to be surrounded by talented athletic scholars who are devoted to the game of soccer and their team. During their Summer Scholars program, I am tasked with tracking and organizing the Color Cup data, the positive behavior intervention system (PBIS) that SBU uses to positively influence participants’ behavior. By using an incentivization system, we infuse the values of showing commitment, bringing integrity, and uniting the community into everyone’s actions on and off the field. It is evident that SBU fosters an environment conducive to its participants using their own skill sets as tools for social change by surrounding the SBU students with genuine staff, athletic and academic outlets, family services, and so much more.
SBU students during their Color Cup tournament. Photo credit: South Bronx United.
My time at SBU has made me reminiscent of my time at Yonkers Partners In Education (YPIE) during my high school career. YPIE was a four-year mentorship program I attended with almost the same structure as SBU (minus the competitive soccer). They had courses after school for academic support, elective majors, and offered college mentorship support through their Fellows program. Through their network, I was able to network with SLU alumni, get dorm essentials, and they even helped me navigate the dreadful FAFSA application recently!
I am thankful for the access to opportunities that have allowed me to prosper beyond what I thought possible, and I hope to continue being an advocate for these programs for other students as well.
The collection of my experiences so far has clarified how I can use public policy as a tool for social change. I aspire to further work in nonprofit organizations that share the same values that HEOP, SBU, and YPIE had: a commitment to growth for their participants by making needed resources available. As Anthony D’Angelo said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” I am thankful for the access to opportunities that have allowed me to prosper beyond what I thought possible, and I hope to continue being an advocate for these programs for other students as well.