Life of a Fellow: Sam
After earning a degree in Exercise Science, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology from the University of Delaware, Sam Minatti has been pursuing meaningful non-profit work in the hopes of tearing down social barriers and increasing access to opportunity for different communities. Her commitment to fighting this fight brought her to 12 Plus this year, and she’s been a stellar advocate and counselor for her Penn Treaty students all throughout.
This year has presented numerous challenges and so many joys, but most of all it has allowed me into a small part of the lives of some amazing students. Although there are too many moments to count, I wanted to share 12 moments from this year, to paint a picture of my experience as a Fellow.
1. A Moment of, “Am I Doing This Right?”
Having been in the same shoes as these students just 6 years ago, I still find it baffling that the 30 students on my caseload look to me for the answers to most of their questions. In my first month at 12 Plus, my favorite phrase was “let’s look that up together!” A seamingly swift transition from the fact that I had absolutely no idea how to answer the mountainous questions they were asking. It wasn’t long though before that changed. By November I had gained ground and felt more confident in my responses. Now I can recite the questions on the FAFSA by heart, which has come in handy while working virtually from home now. Recently, I was able to describe each FAFSA page and its questions over the phone to a student who was filling it out at home. I have officially reached FAFSA queen status.
2. A Moment of Loss
In our first few weeks at Penn Treaty we received news that a senior at our school had passed away. The student was on my caseload but I hadn’t met her yet. I could feel the grief amongst the students and throughout the school. I had put off meeting with several students on my caseload because they had been flagged by the guidance counselor as having been very close with her and I wanted to give it time. As I met with these students though, I really got to feel how positively she had impacted them. One student filled her personal statement with beautiful poems of their friendship and another spoke of how she had changed his life. He told me how she had kept him out of trouble, how he thought of her often and wanted to do better for her. I know she would have been a great addition to 12 Plus this year. Now at Penn Treaty there is even a sitting area in remembrance of her.
3. A Moment of Music
Music was an integral part of my own high school experience. It allowed me a space to express myself and helped me build confidence. Knowing Penn Treaty was not able to have a music program was disheartening to me and led me to start a very short-lived music club. Though my countless flyers and mediocre ukulele skills did not create a long lasting club at Penn Treaty, I still got to experience some of the amazing talent at the school. The music club had 4 loyal participants, all of whom deserve a Grammy. Our meetings came in many forms. They ranged from hardcore karaoke sessions on YouTube to even a live perfomance in the auditorium for an audiance of one--me. These students even got me singing again, which was pretty great. I am super thankful for them and the music they have shared with me.
4. A Moment of Stress
In the fall, I was put in charge of organizing our college week. Being a huge planner I was thrilled to take on the challenge and planned for a week of activities ending with a big college fair. At the college fair, I envisioned that seniors would present on colleges of their choice while underclassmen came in to learn about the schools. However, my excitement for the event turned into a panic when I realized the week-of that most of the students had not started their posters! Even the day of when the event started to come together, I still felt myself getting nervous. One thing about me is if I ever reach a certain level of stress and excitement, I throw up. Dizzy and overwhelmed at the start of the event, one of our amazing students helped me find the nearest bathroom. A few hours later, lying down in the dimly lit Plus Center after feeling under the weather, I was greeted by students trickling in after the event. “We were so worried about you! That was fun,” a student yelled. I took that as a little victory.
5. A Moment of Cookie Monday!
Cookie Monday is a longstanding tradition at Penn Treaty. It just goes to show that the Penn Treaty fellows that came before us also believed that the best form of bribery is and always will be food. The big ‘To knows’ about cookie Monday are: 1. You have to go ASAP or the cookies will run out, 2. Only 1 cookie per student and 3. It’s only on Monday! Number 3 has been a very difficult rule for our students to grasp. There have been false rumors spread of a cookie Tuesday, Wednesday and even a cookie Friday. Please do not trust these rumors! Rule number 2 as well has served some of our students some difficulty. We have encountered a few dare I say ‘cookie monsters’ at Penn Treaty. Another theory I tested on cookie Monday was: Does the quality of cookie really matter? The answer is no. After accidentally burning a batch of sugar cookies, I was able to pull them off as a roasted coffee crunch cookie. A delightful snack that goes to show no matter the cookie, the results are the same. More cookies=More students. Cookies have brought us so many loyal 12 Plus students from all grades and even some middle schoolers! Long live cookie Monday!
6. A Moment of Senior Projects
I have spent most of my life working with Elementary aged kids so it comes as no shock that this year working with high schoolers was a bit different. I have found, though, how amazing it is working with high schoolers. One thing that has really shocked me this year is the students openness and ability to be vulnerable and tell their stories. With FAFSA, personal statements and senior projects setting the stage, we are able to have some very real conversations with students in the center. One day in particular came as a surprise when a student came into the center asking for help on their senior project. I was shocked reading their topic for the project because it was something I had experience with growing up. Typically when hearing students stories, the most I can do is just listen and support them in their experiences. It was a strange moment where I actually connected with their story. Though seemingly small, I saw so much strength in that student to tell their story so openly and it meant a lot to be able to pass along resources to them that had helped me to use for their project.
7. A Moment of Reconnection
While high school and education both are huge gateways to success for many students, for some students, other pathways are a better fit. In January, I got word that a student of mine was leaving Penn Treaty. I knew from day one that being in school was overwhelming for this student, and I was sad we wouldn’t see them in the center anymore. I wanted to reach out and see how I could still help. I called their family members, found other students in the community to connect them to resources and utilized every avenue I could. Still I heard nothing. It wasn’t until 12 Plus expanded onto our virtual platforms and we created our Penn Treaty 12 Plus instagram that I finally got to check in with this student. It was a huge relief to finally get to hear from them and hope to continue to for the rest of the year.
8. A Moment of Reflection
One of the biggest things I have learned this year is how to take time for myself. I am definitely one to create work for myself and this often leads to lots of unchecked boxes on my lists in my planner of things to get done. Sometimes my need to be productive and get things done has kept me working during lunch and away from having meaningful conversations with students. What I have found though is how important it is to take a step back from work when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes the best thing I can do on a given day is just sit and play mancala with a student who came into our center. Sometimes those small conversations too can be a lot more impactful than the box I need to check off on my list. It is definitely a back and forth balance but the Penn Treaty team has helped me a lot in taking that time.
9. A Moment of Celebration
It has been a long fall filled with applications, FAFSAs, and workshops and I could see that students were getting anxious for winter break. We decided to have a winter celebration after school for the students for all their hard work . We used our best form of bribery to attract students to the event: food. I was still shocked, though, when students actually came! The morning of, we even had students bringing trays of food and asking what time to come. I even had a student come in with a foot tall speaker that he carried to school on his bike! I had forgotten I had told him he could be our 12 Plus ‘DJ’. Definitely would recommend him in the future. He came prepared with all the jams. The tunes were playing and students started to file in and there ended up actually being a pretty great turn out. We even got to see students who wouldn’t normally be in the center. It was really awesome to see how much of a community 12 Plus has brought to the school.
10. A Moment of Stratego
Living in the same community of the partner school I am a Fellow at, Penn Treaty, allows for me many unique experiences. Aside from seeing students regularly that work at businesses in the community, I also get to walk to work each day. This led me to come into the center one morning and bring in a treasure I had found on my way to work in a box of free things. Stratego was one of my favorite games as a kid and, besides being made fun of for essentially bringing into work someone’s trash from the side of the road, I was excited. I immediately brought it out at lunch and watched as students strategized to defend their flags. I was so excited to share the game and even got my co-fellow, Tiyanah, to play against me! (Yes I won, but I will allow a rematch!)I hope the future fellows have fun playing it too.
11. A Moment of My Senior Wall Photo
One of the biggest highlights of our Plus center is our senior wall; a wall of photos where seniors can track their goals for the year. This year, on a day cooped up in the plus center me and my co-fellow Tiyanah who were applying to grad schools, decided to make senior photos of our own. Looking back this year as I added stickers of my own alongside my students, I found myself reflecting a lot. It’s been a long journey this year professionally for me and 12 Plus has really helped me solidify my goals. Last year at this time I was enrolled to start an accelerated nursing program at Drexel, which is crazy to think about. With a change of heart last summer, I found myself starting at 12 Plus and looking back now, I am so thankful for it. Working with students this year at Penn Treaty, I’ve been able to let students know it’s okay to be uncertain about your goals and change your mind. For me that meant trading in my Exercise Science degree for something I’m a little bit more passionate about. It lined up well though applying to graduate school alongside my students applying to college. One thing is for sure, applying to college becomes a lot easier when it is essentially part of your job!
12. A Moment of Success
All year, our students have been anxiously awaiting the end of the year; those final moments of getting to commit to their paths for next year. Although unconventional, this year with Covid-19, I have still felt like a proud 12 Plus mom all spring. Going virtual has allowed me to celebrate with them from a distance. From video chats, to phone calls and emails, hearing from these students has made sitting at a desk in quarantine an actual joy. After endless hours of filling out applications and financial aid, my students now have a flood of acceptances coming in from all of their hard work. I have received too many “I got in!” texts to count and have even gotten to hear students finally committing to schools for next year. I can’t wait to see where these next steps take them and hope I continue to hear from them next year.
Thank you to everyone who was a part of these 12 moments and all the other moments that made up this year!