Let's Celebrate: Spring Capstone Highlights
Thank you to all of our high school partners for their participation in the end of year capstone events that took place in the past month! The Capstones are the final meetings for our 9-week Step Up programing on high school campuses and allow teens to showcase all they have learned with fellows and Step Up mentors.
This semester we served:
801 teens
21 schools
325 Mentors (Including fellows and mentors that attended company field trips and Capstones)
Thank you to all of our fellows and mentors for your continued dedication and hard work, and for making these Capstones possible! We had an amazing semester and are thankful for all of our Step Up schools, educators, and teens. Here are some highlights from the events:
"My end of the year Capstone was amazing. I was able to see the girls engage with each other and see and hear how confident they are talking to one another. I can't wait to see the girls next year. We celebrated with pizza and chips!"
- Katherine Trujillo (above), Alliance Gertz-Ressler High School, Los Angeles
"We met back in April and had a speaker come in, Sheila Murphy, and discuss her current and past jobs (she works in finance), education, planning and experience. It was great - students asked lots of good questions. We enjoyed some pizza, soda, water, fruit & cookies!"
- Joleen Kirchens, Argo Community High School, Chicago
"My first, second, and future cohort (I asked my girls to bring friends to the showcase) got to present about their learning experiences in Step Up. I enjoyed letting them take the stage to present their Canva presentation slides to the rest of us. We got to hear from each other as we enjoyed some pizza, juice and treats. We had a little photoshoot with my Polaroid camera towards the end. I closed the ceremony by awarding those with perfect attendance with some yoga mats and handing out certificates of completion. The girls also enjoyed the gift bags my student budget managers put together."
- Laura Rodriguez, Muchin College Prep, Chicago
"At Ogden we host Step Up during our lunch periods and so our Capstone celebration was a wonderful opportunity to bring all of our girls together. Though our students were a bit shy when it came to sharing with so many new faces, they appreciated hearing the experiences of their peers from other lunch periods. They were also quite surprised with how many students had actually joined Step Up this year. One of our freshmen, Anais F., shared that Step Up helped her make new friends in the building, which helped her come out of her shell more in classes. Ogden's Step Up members would like to give a huge thank you to those who supported them during this year.”
- Dara Davis, the Ogden International School of Chicago
Explore Pathways: Accenture Hosts Teens for Explore Pathways
Teens from East College Prep and Stella High Charter Academy participated in an Explore Pathways career exploration field trip to Accenture in May. Students connected with company mentors to explore the various roles in the tech industry and tour the office. Thanks to Step Up partner Accenture for making this program possible!
Meet the fellow from one more of our Step Up schools:
Name: Ashley Love
School: KIPP, Nashville
Role at school: 9th grade Composition 1 teacher
Number of years at school: 1
SU: Why do you think Step Up on Campus is a good fit for KIPP Nashville?
AL: Most of my students don’t realize the endless possibilities that they have as far as careers are concerned. Most of my girls came to Step Up not knowing if they wanted to pursue further education and by the end of the program they either knew what they wanted to do after high school or they had a university in mind. They would be so mind-blown at all of the different women who made hair care products, managed movie stars, or even worked at Apple. This program is important because my girls now know that whatever they decide to do they can have a bright future.
SU: Why did you decide to become a fellow?
AL: I not only wanted to make an impact, I wished that I had a program like this when I was in high school to show me that there is more than just doctors, lawyers, and teachers.
SU: What do you enjoy most about being a fellow?
AL: The connections I make with each young lady. They all have inspiring stories and I am happy to provide advice and guidance.
SU: How did you recruit students for the program?
AL: I reached out to all of the girl athletic coaches and recruited that way. I was able to get them the first half of practice and then that way I could ensure attendance.
SU: What is one highlight from your sessions so far?
AL: All of my girls have one person they know they can count on and lean on. They seem lighter not having to carry the stress of the world all alone.
Tell us more!
Do you have news to share from Step Up on your campus?
Contact our Director of Community Engagement, Maya at maya@suwn.org.
