THANK YOU for an amazing fall semester!
In the fall of 2022, you helped Step Up enroll 283 students in 16 schools of your six cities!
Fellow Highlights
Meet the fellows from two more of our Step Up Schools.
Name: Dara Davis
School: The Ogden International School of Chicago
Role: School Clerk
Years at School: 4
SU: Why do you think Step Up on Campus is a good fit for Ogden?
DD: We had a need for programming that targeted our young girls and so a partnership with Step Up seemed like a no brainer.
SU: Why did you decide to become a fellow?
DD: I was asked to be a fellow by my admin because I am good at relating with the students. I have learned to foster a relationship of respect and empathy with our students and when you are launching a new program, you want someone who has a good rapport with the community in order to get participation.
SU: What do you enjoy most about being a fellow?
DD: I really enjoy being able to interact with the students in a non-academic/administrative capacity. Usually students come to me for help with teachers, finances, and other clerical needs. So it was nice for them to get to know me in a different light and see that there is more to the adults in this building than just telling them what to do.
SU: How did you recruit students for the program?
DD: I am an over communicator, which is important in a world where peoples' attention is being pulled in multiple directions. I sent out weekly reminder emails about Step Up, called families, did daily morning announcements, and went into classrooms to discuss Step Up with students. On the days we would host Step Up, I would see students in the hall and tell them to come join me. After every meeting, I would send an email to the student and parent thanking them for attending and would send emails to those who missed Step Up letting them know we missed them and would still love to have them attend. I used the swag box as raffle prizes for students who attended meetings. Even if it seems like it is not working, always keep lines of communication open because that one email, call, or in person conversation can lead you to a new member.
SU: What is one highlight from your sessions so far?
DD: Our group loved discussing the different aspects of wellness and enjoyed brainstorming with each other on how we can each improve ourselves together.
SU: Anything else you want to share with our school partners around the country?
DD: Step Up has been a positive influence on our campus and really has helped our girls find friends within the building
Name: Laura Elyne Rodriguez
School: Muchin College Prep
Role: Alumni Counselor
Years at School: 10+
SU: Why do you think Step Up on Campus is a good fit for Muchin?
LR: Building strong relationships and community with students that typically come from disadvantaged backgrounds is extremely important. Women empowerment and sisterhood is something that needs to be embraced more in all spaces.
SU: Why did you decide to become a fellow?
LR: I consider myself an ardent feminist, so when I heard about a club that intentionally recruits those who identify as a BIWOC (Brown Indigenous Women of Color) I jumped on the opportunity because I am confident in my role as a fellow and community member at MCP.
SU: What do you enjoy most about being a fellow?
LR: I enjoy connecting, sharing and being vulnerable with the cohort. I also enjoy sharing knowledge and wisdom that comes from my personal experiences as a first generation college student myself.
SU: How did you recruit students for the program?
LR: I leveraged my connections with advisors and Deans at our school. I recruited mainly via email and in person. I presented quickly in classroom settings, passed out flyers with the QR code and collected names so that I could follow up directly with them. I also leveraged students from my first cohort to lead some of the recruiting for me. Two young ladies were in charge of creating flyers, posting them around campus and they also went into a couple of classrooms as well.
SU: What is one highlight from your sessions so far?
LR: Our trip to Navy Pier was fun. Sad that we did not get to enjoy the Centennial Wheel free tickets but we definitely got to bond outside of Muchin.
SU: Anything else you want to share with our school partners around the country?
LR: Just a shout out to all the Step Up Fellows out there putting in that work to make sure young ladies have safe spaces, guidance and extra support. If you are interested in connecting with me you can email me at lrodriguez@muchincollegeprep.org or follow me on IG:Elynerod
We are stepping into the Spring Semester with growth and expansion!
Young Adult Programs is now serving ages 18-29! Step up is officially launching our new Young Adult Mentorship Program with new corporate partner Kérastase, called Power Talks.
Kérastase created Power Talks to fight the confidence gap, an issue experienced by 1 out of 2 women worldwide. With this initiative, Kérastase joins Step Up on the mission to create effective mentoring programs for young women (ages 18-29) to grow their confidence, leverage social capital and benefit from the experience of mentors, while simultaneously addressing key barriers around confidence.
Our upcoming workshop dates:
- Wednesday, March 22 @ 11am PST/1pm CST/2pm EST
- Wednesday, April 19 @ time TBD
- Wednesday, May 17 @ time TBD
Please visit our Events page to learn more and register!
For more information on our partnership, visit www.kerastase.com/power-talksand join the conversation on Instagram by tagging @kerastase_official and #PowerTalks.
Community Engagement Staff Contact
Do you have news to share from Step Up on your Campus?
Contact the Director of Community Engagement, Maya Menon at maya@suwn.org.
