Life of a Fellow: Calvin
Calvin was first introduced to 12+ as a former student of our CEO’s. He interned for our organization years ago as a freshman in college and is now back!
This is Calvin’s Experience with 12+ Part II: The Electric Boogaloo
If you told me a year ago that the summer after graduation I would not only be working for 12+, but also signing up to write the first blog post of the year, I would have called you a silly little goose and sent you on your way. But look where we are now! This year, we have a cohort full of unique stories and experiences. I’ll let everyone else talk about their own, but let’s start with mine <3.
My journey with 12+ TECHNICALLY begins with vaguely hearing about it while I was Ray’s (our CEO) student at Ivy Advantage Academy, an SAT/ACT prep course. But really my 12+ story starts the summer after my freshman year of college, when I worked for 12+ as an intern! In the summer of 2019, I joined the 12+ team with a very narrow understanding of the work that they did. I spent the summer working on two Airtables (do NOT say the word Airtable to Ernest our COO or you’ll be stuck in a 30 min lecture on how Airtable is better than Excel) and assisting a cohort of recently graduated high school seniors with their postsecondary plans. I remember feeling excited to work with students but a bit stressed about how I would keep track of everything.
WELL LOOK AT ME NOW! As a Fellow, instead of utilizing two Airtables and working with about ten students, I now have access to what seems like an endless stream of Airtables and students. If my experience as an intern was like flying a kite, my experience as a fellow is more like piloting a plane. And honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being directly in the schools is so different from bringing students into HQ to work with them. In our roles as Fellows, we not only work to ensure students successfully transition into their postsecondary pathway, but also fully immerse ourselves in the school cultures. We want to show that when we say partnership, we mean it. We’re here, and we’re here to stay.
So what does that look like from a Fellow’s perspective? Well, it can be something as small as knowing if tomorrow’s going to be an A day or B day so you can remind the students when they forget for the third time that week. Or, it can look like going to the football and basketball games with your site team and almost losing your voice from screaming “COME ON PANTHERS LETS GOOOOOOO”. In whatever ways we can, Fellows show commitment and dedication to our schools and our students. And that doesn’t go unnoticed! Even though Camden schools just started a couple weeks ago, I’m already seeing students come out of their shells and open up to us a bit more. While our relationships started out with cautious side eyes and obligatory introductions, I’ve witnessed that develop into relaxed stances and light roasting.
It’s definitely an interesting experience to come back to an organization a few years after interning for them. I’ve been able to watch 12+ grow and expand, adding new positions and partnerships to strengthen their fight for education equity while I was at school learning more about the systemic intricacies that built up this convoluted education system. Now that 12+ and I have both grown up a bit, I’m excited to be here as a Fellow to do the direct work that fights the injustice I’ve learned about the last four years. On August 2, 2019, I made an Instagram post to commemorate the end of my internship with 12+ and captioned it “lemme get my degree real quick, I’ll be back in 3 years”. 3 years later, and here I am :). Maybe a year 4 is in the cards?