Closing out our Capstones
The end of the school year is right around the corner. We are wrapping it up with the final Capstone Celebrations and an exclusive insight into the seniors from Alliance High School’s trip to the A-list.
Our teens had an amazing time showcasing their work from the semester during their Capstone Celebrations. Mentors and teens were able to talk about future plans and how Step Up has contributed to their personal growth this semester.
Explore Pathways with The A-List with Surprise Guest
Seniors from Alliance Bloomfield, Stella, and John Marshall got to head to Beverly Hills and take a tour of The A-List. The A-List is a leading communications and marketing agency that leverages their broad network of entertainment and industry relationships. During this tour, teens visited showrooms for popular clothing and makeup brands like Good American, New Balance, Ilia and Osea. Teens also had the opportunity to "shop" clothing items from J Crew and Aritzia to take home with them. Mindy Kaling made a surprise appearance to speak with the teens and take pictures. A list team members also shared about their positions and career journeys as teens enjoyed pizza and cake.
Student Highlight Uchechi Ike from: Ogden International, Chicago
SU:Why did you decide to join Step Up?
. I decided to join Step Up to find a place where I can make new friends and learn more about my future.
SU:Which session of Step Up on Campus was your favorite? Why?
My favorite session of Step Up was when we talked about where we would be in the future. I often didn't really think about this much, but that exercise made me think about how I wanted to live my life in the future. It was a big help since I'm a junior in high school.
SU:What area do you feel like you have grown the most through your participation in Step Up?
I feel like I've grown the most in my leadership and social skills. The people in step up have helped me grow as a person and have given me good advice.
SU:How has Step Up impacted you or supported you in your future plans?
Step Up has impacted my future plans by inspiring me to try better and push harder to do what I want to do in life. I've always wanted to be a nurse, but I lost motivation because of how hard it was to reach that goal. Step Up lit that spark in me again to try my hardest and be the best version of myself.
SU:What is your favorite thing about Ms. Davis and Ms. Witherspoon?
My favorite thing about Ms. Davis is that she's so friendly and comforting. I feel comfortable sharing things with her and asking her for advice. My favorite thing about Ms. Witherspoon is that she is very honest and motivating. She always pushes me to be the best I can be.
Reflecting on Power Talks: Your Next Step Up
We are thrilled to share the success of our recent event, Power Talks: Your Next Step Up, an interactive workshop hosted by Step Up Women’s Network in partnership with City Year Milwaukee. This inspiring session brought together teens from across our six cities for an evening of confidence-boosting conversations with mentors.
Meet our Fellow Emily Rosales!
Name: Emily Rosales
Role at school: School Counselor
Number of years at school: 1
SU:Why do you think Step Up on Campus is a good fit for Alliance Bloomfield?:
ER: Step Up empowers our girls at Bloomfield to be who they are and supports them in creating connections with others on campus they would not normally talk to. A lot of the topics we discuss in Step Up we don't have the time to discuss during the school day. Girls have a space to be vulnerable and ask important questions. We don't have any other club like this on campus!
SU:Why did you decide to become a fellow?
ER: I decided to become a fellow because I believe in Step Up's mission and what it can offer to young girls from underserved communities like Bloomfield's. Growing up I wish I had had a space like this where I could ask questions about how to get to where I wanted to get to. Step Up allows this space, and also allows me to build relationships with these students that will continue even after Step Up ends for the semester.
SU:How do you recruit students for the program?
ER: I promoted it through teacher professional development, where I was able to talk to teachers about what Step Up has to offer and asked them to refer students they thought would be a good fit. I also placed flyers throughout the school and in each classroom where students could have easy access to a sign up form through a QR code. Something else that helped was sending out consistent emails to our student population encouraging them to join or fill out the interest form if they wanted more information.
SU:What are you most looking forward to as a fellow this semester?
ER: I was looking forward to our Explore Pathways field trip all semester and it did not disappoint! Our girls were able to talk to team members at Accenture about their individual career and college pathways. They came back inspired and with an open mind to other careers they had not considered!
Is there someone at your school who would like to receive these monthly updates from Step Up?
Contact the Director of Community Engagement, Maya Menon: maya@suwn.org
