I always hate these types of questions. What has <insert company/organization name here> given you? I honestly never know how to respond to it, because I think you figure out valuable lessons when you’re completely removed, and not still working with the company or in this case, with the kids. In a few months, wherever I am in life, I think it’ll come to me and I’ll be much more cognizant of what STEP has given me. In the meantime, I believe STEP has, not necessarily given me anything, but has reminded me of just how good life is, of just how good God is, of just how bless I am. I grew up in the hood, and then I left and came to Albany and forgot about how things were back home. Seeing the kids, riding the bus with them and seeing the neighborhoods and seeing RIP signs on trees and spray painted on walls and seeing shoes dangling from the wires hanging above, it reminds me that life isn’t all about partying, and going out, and chilling with friends and working. It reminds me that there’s so much more to life than this closed, gated community called college. STEP is a daily reminder that there’s poverty out there, that there’s kids struggling, that some people who are well off, that some people who came from the “streets” and “made it” have not given back to the very place that made them who they are today. It’s a sad realization and without STEP, I think I would have been on that same track, that same path that I aforementioned.
What have I given to STEP? I hope that the students were able to confide in me and feel a sense of comfort. I hope that I changed the minds, the attitudes of some of the students. I made it a point with the gentlemen that it was ladies first, regardless of the situation. I hope I got the point across that, the minute they “mess up” and do something “foolish” that it’s their fault because they’ll be seen as the more aggressive, bigger, savages in today’s society. I hope I implanted a seed in their mind, that when they want to talk to a girl, or want to engage in certain activities, that they do it in a proper way, in a respectful way, so that they don’t end up in a bad situation that threatens their freedom for the rest of their lives.
I kept it real with STEP and they reciprocated. These are young men and women and more than likely, they’ll be leading us “older” folks in a few years. I didn’t try to sugarcoat things; they’re way too intelligent for that. STEP has a piece of my heart. I’ll always have a soft spot there for all whom I encountered. I hope nothing but the best for the students, for the staff, for my colleagues, and for the administration. As I graduate, and move on in life, I hope the values and wisdom I passed on to others, may continue. I am optimistic about the future of the program and the future of the kids and I know that when all is said and done, despite what anyone who’s not in the program might say or think...... we’ll be alright.
What have I given to STEP? I hope that the students were able to confide in me and feel a sense of comfort. I hope that I changed the minds, the attitudes of some of the students. I made it a point with the gentlemen that it was ladies first, regardless of the situation. I hope I got the point across that, the minute they “mess up” and do something “foolish” that it’s their fault because they’ll be seen as the more aggressive, bigger, savages in today’s society. I hope I implanted a seed in their mind, that when they want to talk to a girl, or want to engage in certain activities, that they do it in a proper way, in a respectful way, so that they don’t end up in a bad situation that threatens their freedom for the rest of their lives.
I kept it real with STEP and they reciprocated. These are young men and women and more than likely, they’ll be leading us “older” folks in a few years. I didn’t try to sugarcoat things; they’re way too intelligent for that. STEP has a piece of my heart. I’ll always have a soft spot there for all whom I encountered. I hope nothing but the best for the students, for the staff, for my colleagues, and for the administration. As I graduate, and move on in life, I hope the values and wisdom I passed on to others, may continue. I am optimistic about the future of the program and the future of the kids and I know that when all is said and done, despite what anyone who’s not in the program might say or think...... we’ll be alright.
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