In this monthly column, we’re catching up with some of our most memorable teen programs participants who are now busy fulfilling their potential and changing the world!
Step Up alumna Imani Israel had an unconventional beginning with the organization. While most Step Up girls begin the program during their freshman year of high school, Imani didn’t join Step Up until she was a junior. She had just transferred to Environmental Science and Technology High School (affectionately called ESAT), and saw Step Up as a saving grace. “I was new at ESAT, and I wanted to make friends,” Imani remembers. “I also heard that Step Up would help me get into college and that they took juniors on a College Tour to the Bay Area to visit campuses. That sold me!”
Once in Step Up, Imani participated in programs like the College Connections Conference and even attended member events so she could meet Step Up women and girls from other schools. “I liked hearing other girls’ stories and meeting women members – that was really cool.”
A particular event that stands out for Imani was the 2011 College Connections Conference at Pepperdine University in Malibu. “I enjoy going to the different sessions and meetings and hearing everyone speak about college. I really liked Step Up because of what it offered girls. It helped us find a way to go to college and showed us opportunities we would never have known.”
But committing to Step Up wasn’t an easy task for Imani. Due to the location of her neighborhood and her mother’s work schedule, Imani would wake up at 6:00 a.m. each morning and take two public buses for her hour commute to high school – arriving just in time for the morning bell. After school and Step Up, she’d return home via the same route to arrive at 7:00 p.m. for 2-3 hours of homework, assisting with household chores, and taking care of her younger brother.
But Imani found strength in her Step Up classmates. “All of us who were in Step Up were all there for a reason. We were all struggling with something, but we supported each other. Not once did we complain about our circumstances – we helped each other. It was worth it to stay after school for Step Up – this was my family now.”
For the student who had commuted an hour each way for high school, it’s no surprise she opted to commute a long distance to college too. Imani selected Xavier University of Louisiana and found herself and six family members making the long drive to New Orleans for move-in day. Like most college freshmen, Imani experienced a bit of a culture shock in a new city with new-found independence. She missed home and her family, and found her classes for her pre-med/chemistry major and biology minor very challenging.
But October brought mid-term exams, and Imani found her inner strength. “I worked really hard,” she said. “I wasn’t going to fail. I asked myself, ‘Am I doing my personal best?’ I knew I just needed to change my perspective. I was determined to make my mom proud. And I haven’t cried since!”
Imani, now a second semester freshman, is thriving on campus. She is taking advantage of the resources a college campus has to offer, like a counselor who reminded her to appreciate the little things. She is also an active member of the Bio-Medical Honors Corp (“It’s like Step Up, for pre-med students- they get you where you need to go,” she explained) and volunteers on the weekends with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. “I love volunteering!” Imani said.
Her dream is to complete medical school and become a pediatrician. “I love kids, and I’m very good with them. I hope to travel to different countries and help people everywhere.”
See more on Imani’s story in the video ‘Step Up’s Inspiration’ here!
Interviewed and profiled by Step Up Staff member Alissa Zito
Let Imani know she has your continued support by leaving her a comment below!
