Kaitie recently graduated from Grinnell College where she studied Anthropology and Global Development Studies, as well as design thinking and social innovation. She brings to Hill-Freedman World Academy not only her plethora of knowledge, but also a strong passion for empowering youth, and we’re excited for what this Fellowship year holds for her!

When we began decorating the Plus Center, Francesca, our Site Director, told us, “This is your space.” Liz and I modeled the Center very similarly to how it looked last year, but we definitely put our own spin on Center staples like the senior wall, our whiteboards, and little decorative touches like plants. The item with which we have been having the most fun is definitely a piece of college swag that was gifted to us - an interactive poster that says “GO BEARS!”

Even though Hill-Freedman celebrates its mascot, the hawk, at sports games, spirit days, and field day events, we at the Plus Center have embraced the Go Bears! sign as something entirely different. 

“Go Bears! has become a cheer I use for my students as they begin their college application process.”

At first, we did not know who actually gave us the sign, as there is no further promotional print on the gold and maroon material. Students from 9th to 12th grade would enter the Center and notice the scroll sitting on our center table. They'd open it, see Go Bears!, laugh, and ask who it was from. We'd respond, "We're not sure," and then go on to cheer "Go Bears!" Sometimes, students would tell us about their day while they continued to mindlessly play with it as they would with a beloved toy. Other times, we would have students come in right after they performed well on a quiz or game from class just to open the scroll, exclaim “Go Bears!” and head back to class. 

“Go Bears!” has become a cheer I use for my students as they begin their college application process. The 2020 senior class at Hill-Freedman has been especially active in their college applications, and some students have already been accepted to college. Not only have we been using senior wall stickers and a semi-broken cowbell to celebrate these milestones, but we have extended our Go Bears! cheer to celebrate these important moments for our students as well. 

Last week, we realized Go Bears! was a gift from Kutztown University. After school, Liz, Francesca, and I were working on college applications, FAFSA, and personal statements with a group of students. After one student finished her personal statement, we let out a “Go Bears!” and opened the scroll to reveal the sign. She immediately asked, “Isn’t that from Kutztown?” While we were relieved to have the mystery of Go Bears! solved, there was a mutual agreement between us that this sign was now also a part of Hill-Freedman World Academy and our Plus Center. 

Advice from the Fearful

The seniors at Kensington are graduating in 5 weeks, and I have been thinking of what I can say to them; of what I can ask of them before they leave.

This is all that I am sure of, and from here I will make my request:

Vulnerability, honesty, and compassion make us human.

~

There are invisible walls that we build around ourselves, as protection, and as a remedy to fear; fear of dismissal, fear of failure, fear of genuine self-reflection. They separate us from realities that we do not want to face, and from all those who call into question the perfect image that we wish to project. Walls that are meant for protection however, will only end up isolating.

You will feel your flaws anyway. You will be afraid anyway. Not because you’re doing something wrong, not because you are not smart enough, or attractive enough, or eloquent enough, but because we live in a world of unknowns, and you will always have questions. You will be afraid, and in being afraid you will be amongst the 7.2 billion people worldwide: people who are afraid to go home, people who are afraid to leave home, people who are afraid of taking a step forward for fear that there won’t be any ground beneath them. This is a fact of life, and we do no good by pretending otherwise. Do not deny the reality you are living in, do not deny the people who hold up mirrors and ask you hard questions.

Build a fortress around yourself, and you will seem confident, powerful, but you will always feel a little bit weak, a little bit fearful.

Here vulnerability and honesty come in.

Admit that you are afraid, and you will learn that no person is impenetrable. No one who has ever sat in a classroom or stood in front of an audience has not at one time or another felt terrified and underprepared. You will learn that no one started out “smart” or “talented,” but instead gained skills through asking for help and failing over and over and over again, until they had tried every solution but the right one. Admit fear and you will learn that real confidence is standing unshielded and unapologetic.

And here compassion comes in.

You are not any more flawed than anyone else; you are not any less worthy of forgiveness. Be kind to yourself. 

So my request: Do not shut yourself away in a windowless room, do not inflict punishment upon yourself in repentance. 

Ask for support, admit that you are scared, and then take a step forward anyway.

This summer, 12+ welcomed six new talented individuals to the team through the 2014-2015 Fellows Initiative. These Fellows are commissioned to implement workshops, to provide academic assistance, and to serve our students in the PLUS Centers of our partner schools, Kensington Health Sciences Academy and Penn Treaty School. Here, we document their stories. 

Alex studied Communications, LGBTQ & Sexuality Studies, and Community Action & Social Change at the University of Michigan. He is passionate about racial, economic and queer/trans justice and sexual violence prevention and education, and he loves One Direction, going to concerts, and cooking. Alex brings these interests to Penn Treaty, where he inspires students to spread school-wide culture. In this post, Alex offers ten lessons to his students.

I humbly offer a list of lessons that I’ve picked up along the way to becoming a 12+ Fellow. These are the lessons that I hope to share with my students during my time with them as their educator, mentor, and friend. It’s the least I can do given that my students will never know how much they’ve taught me and continue to teach me every single day. Leaving them with this map is just a small token of my gratitude for allowing me into their lives and giving me the privilege of seeing them grow, push themselves, and succeed.

1. You are the expert of your own life. Honor your story. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. Know where your roots are so you can see where you’re growing.

2. You cannot heal until you’ve admitted that you’re hurting. Be vulnerable when you can. It is easier to say “I hate you” than it is to say “You hurt me.” It is not a sign of weakness to have a soft heart in a harsh world.

3. It is easier to say “I don’t want to do that” than it is to say “I’m scared I’ll fail.” Apathy is giving into your fears. Admitting your fears is bravery.

4. Set goals. You cannot face something that you cannot name. Name your hopes and fears. Be intentional. Live life—don’t let it live you.

5. You are not alone in your struggles. You are not the first person to have gone through what you’ve gone through and you won’t be the last. When we take the risk to open ourselves up and reach out, others will reach back.

6. Take care of yourself. Drink lots of water and eat well when you can. It’s just as important to maintain your mental health as well. Stress, anxiety, depression—these are all very real. Admitting that we are affected by the demands of life does not make us weak. Taking the time to nurture ourselves does not make us selfish.

7. You are strong and more resilient than you know. Don’t let anyone minimize how hard high school is. I see you fighting.

8. The weight of your parent’s struggles and expectations are not your burden to carry. You cannot help others before you help yourself. Eventually, you’re going to have to put yourself first so that one day, you can truly give back to your family and your community in an impactful way.

9. “Our most radical work is to love ourselves” — Kim Katrin Milan. No one teaches how to be loved or how to love. We must seek out what loving others, being loved, and loving ourselves means to us purposefully.

10. You matter.