Leadership role in an academic organization: 3 points

 

This academic year, I have the privilege of serving as the vice president for PropelU. PropelU is an academic and mentoring organization run out of Morehouse College. We do service every Friday at one or two main locations: Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and Bellwood Boys and Girls Club. At Cristo Rey, we assist a small group of students with college prep. This includes finding schools, applying to schools, writing essays, scholarship applications, professional workshops, and more. At Bellwood, we spend time forming bonds with the children there by playing with them, helping with their homework, and assisting the staff at mealtime. What we do at these locations serves to strengthen us as academics through teaching and mentoring. This allows us to practice dispersing knowledge and ensure we maintain academic standards to pass down the best advice we can to those we mentor. I’ve been part of PropelU since I was a freshman, and now I’m a senior. It’s very near and dear to my heart, and I’ve learned a lot about myself as a person, a mentor, and a leader. While it doesn’t quite connect to my major or desired career path, I value the experiences it has given me and how I can possibly use these experiences as a frame of reference later down the road as I go into a career full of stories.

Admittedly, our main weakness is people. Attendance at meetings and service can be low, and is often just SpelHouse (mainly Morehouse) students. We’re trying to figure out how to expand and get members from Clark Atlanta and Morris Brown. Additionally, since our broader publicity is lacking, we have events and collaborations planned on different campuses to attract more volunteers.

By Samantha Hines