Each week, we ask AmeriCorps coaches to reflect on the previous week by asking them to respond to a series of one or more questions. While the coaches have asked us not to reveal their names or the names of the students they support, these are important narratives that need to be shared.
Question: Over the course of this week, consider an interaction you had with a student that you wish would have gone differently. What was the interaction and outcome, and what do you think you could have done differently to alter that outcome? Alternatively, share an experience about an interaction that went really well – how did you contribute to the positive outcome and how might you scale that contribution to benefit you in more conversations/interactions in your life?
Coach 1: A memorable interaction I had this week was working with one of my outstanding students, “Tiana.” Tiana is an excellent student and person, and she is constantly ahead of her College Possible peers in accomplishing what she needs to do. Tiana was recently picked as a semifinalist for the Posse Scholarship, and she has an interview with them soon. I am so proud of Tiana and her accomplishments so far. Tiana is a student that I don’t really need to worry about as she takes care of everything in advance and asks when she needs help. She has shown me that hard work will pay off no matter where you are in your life. I also admire her because even though she is a superstar student, she is constantly asking questions, wondering how she can do more or make things better. She doesn’t take her gifts for granted or act entitled just because she is so talented and good with people. I expected her not to reach out to me when I started this school year, but she is the most active of all of my students and participates in everything. You can learn a lot by watching successful people and how they succeed. Tiana is an inspiring person that I learn from even though I’m her coach.
Coach 2: I had a great interaction with a student named “Langston,” starting on Monday and continuing through all of this week. I met Langston in the parking lot; it was his first day of school (even though we are a few weeks into the year) and he recently moved from Milwaukee. I got to see Langston in the halls a few times and in the counseling office, and then I saw him again while I was tabling at lunch. I chatted with him about what it was like to move to Minneapolis recently, being new in the school (which we both share), and generally fitting in. It also became clear that, even though Langston wanted to be a senior so that he could graduate this year, he is going to be a junior because it makes more sense with his credits. Then I got to tell him about College Possible and he was very interested in the program – WIN! Langston has now filled out his College Possible application and I am excited to work with him if he is able to enroll.
Coach 3: I had a great interaction today with a student who was very excited about going on a campus visit to Carleton College and St. Olaf College and was having trouble completing the forms himself. “Andrew” sometimes gets confused by forms and other assignments that require lots of individual work, and I found that taking the time to work individually with him on the forms was very helpful to him. We were able to get him signed up for the field trip and to complete the RSVP, and I was also able to get in touch with his parents so we could get their permission for the permission slip. I was very proud of my ability to speak in Spanish with Andrew’s parents, as I can imagine it is very comforting to them to be able to communicate naturally with this person who is working closely with their child. Andrew is so excited about going to college in the future but doesn’t know where to start, and being able to provide that first push + bit of information that could be helpful for his future felt great. This interaction reminds me how important it is to go the extra mile for students, especially when it is well within my capacity to do so – the positive impact is very real, and sometimes it doesn’t even take much extra effort to make a big difference.
Do you want to help inspire students? Learn more about serving with College Possible. You could be a critical support system and coach to a student throughout their college journey.
