Motivation for two City Years

This post is part of a series reflecting on this year of service in honor of our 2011-2012 corps graduation on Wednesday.

As I reflect on my second city year, I think about the people who got me here and the student who inspired me to keep serving.

I am first generation Ghanaian American. Both my parents were unable to receive a higher education, but they instilled in my brother and me the importance of education. Both my parents worked two jobs trying to make ends meet yet they made sure they were actively present in our education. School for me was always hard because I struggled with certain concepts. If my parents weren’t involved enough to push me to seek assistance from teachers, I wouldn’t have graduated from high school. I could have easily been an at-risk youth, off-track, not on the right path. I was fortunate enough to have the support of my family to keep me headed in the right direction.

Nancy Adjei

Last year I served at Lee Mathson Middle School. During my service year at Mathson, I met a student who was not as fortunate as I was to have the support of her parents. Stacy* lost her father to gang violence and grew up with behavioral issues, surrounded by gang involvement.  She struggled in class and missed school quite frequently. In fact, due to the amount of days Stacy missed, she was at risk of not graduating with her eighth grade class. During brunch and lunch breaks Stacy and I would talk about life and school. When she became one of my math tutoring students, we were able to build a stronger relationship, and I was able to talk to her about life choices and discuss the importance of education.

Gradually Stacy started coming to school more and her math improved. In the end, Stacy didn’t just graduate, but because of her remarkable transformation she was able to give a speech to her graduating class.

I joined City Year because I believe that every child deserves an equal opportunity to a quality education. Students like Stacy don’t have the support system that many of us are fortunate to have. Through City Year, I was able to be a support system in her life and witness a complete transformation. Stacy is now completely disengaged from the gang life, and is serving as a class representative for her high school’s student council. In the future she plans to apply to Stanford and UCLA.

Nancy (far left) is the recruitment project leader this year.

She told me, “Thank you for spending time with me and helping me realize that I could do better.” This is why I served, and why I hope other young people continue to serve their communities in the future.

-Nancy Adjei, Recruitment Project Leader CYSJ

*the student’s name was changed to protect her identity

This City Year Life: I was born lucky

I was born lucky. I wasn’t born lucky in the traditional sense. I wasn’t born into a wealthy family, or even born healthy. My mother, caught up in the vicious cycle of drug addiction, led me to be born premature, and later to be moved from foster home to foster home. What makes me lucky are not the situations that have surrounded me, rather it’s the positive role model I’ve had with me every step of the way.

When I was six months old I was brought to yet another new foster family. I’ve been told that I was wailing, miserable, and tired when I arrived at their house. As the adults spoke about my background, Melody (my future sister) entered the room. She took me in her arms and she said that I immediately stopped crying, I sighed with relief, and I fell asleep in her arms. Melody tells me that if there is any such thing as falling in love at first sight, that moment defined it. I was legally adopted 7 years later.

Corps member Tajah Eddy (right) and her sister Melody

I don’t remember a moment in my life where Melody was not my idol. At five years old my dream was to be just like her. I wanted to look like her, be as cool as she was, and I even dreamed of going to the same Ivy League school and studying English. Through her words I understood the importance of confidence, love, hard work, dedication, politics, and most importantly… education.

It wasn’t until I turned 17 that I was reunited with my biological siblings, all of whom grew up going to inner city Philadelphia public schools.

When I met my brothers and sisters, it was immediately apparent that I had been granted opportunities they were not afforded. My siblings lived in a world where status was determined by the territory you defended or the money you earned through illegal activities. My oldest brother was arrested for drug possession with intent to sell. My younger brother was shot because of his involvement in gang activity and now his left leg and arm are completely immobile. What really bothered me was not that these events happened, rather it was the way my siblings made it seem that this was just the way life worked. Normalcy for them was dropping out of school, having kids at a young age, being involved in gangs, and going to jail.

I noticed that just as my siblings grew used to the events around them, I too had gotten used to the events around me. For me status was determined by the books you read, the grades you got, and the sports you played. I had no other option but to go to college. This was what my peers were doing. Nothing else in the world existed. Getting into Temple University was one of the happiest moments of my teenage life. I had an amazing time in college; I learned more about myself and the world in 4 years than I have at any other point in my life. Still, when I graduated I didn’t feel this sense of accomplishment. I felt like the last 4 years of my life had been self-focused and nothing I had done was going to leave a positive mark on the world. So, on May 12, 2011 I handed in my application to City Year.

Tajah serves on the NVIDIA team at Dorsa Elementary

Just as I knew that I had no other option but to go to college, I knew that I had no other option but to be a part of City Year. This program has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Through this job I get to build lasting relationships, and I get to be a role model for students who are often surrounded by negative influences.

One story in particular I hold really close to my heart. I tutor a 5th grader named Sarah. Sarah* is a leader in every sense of the word. There is this unspoken “cool” about this girl. Everyone looks up to her, they listen when she speaks, and often times the mood of the classroom is determined by whether or not she’s interested in a lesson. When I first met Sarah she was disengaged, her classroom behavior was poor, and she had no desire to improve her literacy scores.

I had several conversations with Sarah while we sat during tutoring. She would tell me stories about how her older sister would abuse alcohol and get into fights, and it was clear that this reckless behavior was trickling down to Sarah, who at eleven years old had already begun smoking marijuana and drinking. During our tutoring sessions I would have very honest conversations with Sarah. I would talk to her about making smart choices, being a leader, and doing the right thing. Sarah told me that when she grows up she wants to be a veterinarian, and I told her that the only way to achieve her dreams is through hard work.

I started to notice that slowly but surely Sarah’s behavior and demeanor changed. One day as we began a tutoring lesson she seemed particularly tired. Sarah told me that she had been up all night with her older sister. The older sister confessed that she wished she behaved and earned better grades just like Sarah. Through tears, the older sister confessed that she looked up to her eleven-year-old sibling. Sarah had become a role model.

What I love most about City Year is not the time I spend helping the kids become strong readers, or making sure they get all their homework done. What I love most about City Year is the opportunity I have been given to make a positive mental and social change in these kids. What I love is the fact that I can be a role model all the while forming amazing bonds with these students.

My name is Tajah Eddy, and I was born lucky because I always had a positive role model, and someone to guide me through a path to success. Through City Year I have been able to give some of my luck back to the community, and I hope that someday the students I have touched can say that they too were lucky.

-Tajah Eddy, Corps Member CYSJ

*name was changed to protect student’s identity

Showcasing student talent

The first day of our new enrichment cycle, I recall calling my students to attention by saying, “Dance, there are six weeks until the enrichment showcase. I don’t know about you guys but I’m super excited.” I was then greeted with a dance class of thirty something students who were all smiles.

Not only were these students anxious to learn three different styles of dance, they were excited to share it with their community. While there were many bumps along the way, there was not a day that passed by that I did not see those kids dance with heart. They were determined to make this showcase memorable.

With the end of the year fast approaching, the pressure was on for all five enrichment classes. Not only was the dance class talking up the showcase, but I heard other enrichments buzzing about what they were going to be doing to show everyone what they had learned this time around.

By June 1^st, the anticipation was no longer measurable. Those students were not only mentally preparing themselves for what they were about to do but they were tired of waiting to see what their friends had been working on for weeks!

The patience paid off. I have never encountered a group of students so supporting of their fellow classmates. They would point at a student on the stage and say “I know him,” or “I can’t believe they can do that!” I was overwhelmed with joy.

I know this holds true for all the corps members on my team because as I looked at each one of them (one in particular with tears in her eyes) there was a particular smile that expressed everything they were feeling. Our students worked hard for weeks to come up with a routine for their community, and they never shied away from the opportunity of showing that off.

We are so incredibly proud of their work and their determination. We honestly could not have asked for a better enrichment showcase that truly had a great turnout from the community. I believe that should be testament enough of the hard work these students have strived to do during enrichments and all their activities.

Steph Yero, Corps Member CYSJ

Enriching student’s lives in after school program

Corps Member Alex Mihalek spots one of her cheerleaders during her cheer enrichment. Alex was a cheerleader at Harvard.

Exactly nine months ago, I ended my eight-year cheerleading career. This sport had always been my biggest extracurricular commitment in high school and college, and as much as my parents would hate to hear it, I often spent more time cheering than studying.

Cheerleading was crucial to my personal development—in addition to developing healthy fitness habits, being a member of a team sport taught me much about responsibility, leadership and most importantly, how to be confident in myself.

As I moved across the country to serve with City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, I thought my cheerleading shoes had been retired once and for all.

Then, we started running enrichments at Cureton Elementary School.  In addition to homework help, Starfish Corps and snack time, students in the Cureton after school program also have the option of choosing a special club.  Each enrichment meets three times a week for a month and a half, and have ranged from the Around the World club to the American Sign Language enrichment.  The enrichment program gives students the opportunity to find success outside of academics and to explore a topic about which they are truly passionate.  It also gave me the ability to dust off my cheer shoes.

For the past six weeks, I’ve had the privilege to work with a talented group of cheerleaders-to-be, practicing everything from general conditioning to motion and jump drills.  We also spent countless hours working on the crème de la crème of any good cheerleading routine: stunting, or in non-cheer lingo, putting people up in the air.

Two Fridays ago, my cheerleaders—and the entire Cureton after school program—showed off their hard work to their families and the community as a part of the Enrichment Showcase.  The Enrichment Showcase highlighted the accomplishments made by each club during their six-week cycle, and was a great way to give students the ability to speak and perform in public.

Students had the opportunity to show off their art, participate in a debate, perform songs and dances, present a model of the solar system and play a highlight reel of their athletic pursuits.

Our students left the Enrichment Showcase beaming as they spoke about their accomplishments.  And while we may have only created a few future scientists or dance team captains, that sense of self pride that our students displayed is something that we should seek to create every day.  By the smiles on our students’ faces as they left the cafeteria on that Friday night, I knew we succeeded.

Alex Mihalek, Corps Member CYSJ