Today's quote of the day is from Buddha ( circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE).

Welcome Back!  Just a friendly reminder that the UAlbany STEP Club is back in session, today Monday November 26th. We at STEP hope that everyone had a wonderful break and are now focused to finish the rest of the year out strong! We hope to see you guys at programming!

Last week, we started off with a bang. The UAlbany STEP Program hosted the second Shadow Day of the academic year and it was phenomenal.

The event's attendance grew from last month's Shadow Day; going from 25 students to 40 students being signed up. This is all thanks to the word of mouth of the students that attended the first Shadow Day.

The success and vision of Shadow Day was created by our wonderful Assistant Coordinator, Felita Orr. She wanted students in high school to get a glimpse of the college experience before they actually attended college, and Shadow Day does just that.

The high school students are paired up with UAlbany STEP students based on the high school student's interest. We had interests ranging from forensic science to performing arts. Once the students are paired with staff to be "shadows", the students then go to see the beauty of college classes. Majority of students went to two classes, while some were lucky enough to see three. What's more amazing than that is some high school students were fortunate to see dorm rooms, the campus center and academic support services provided on campus.

Once again Shadow Day was a great success, so great that students are asking for a third Shadow Day! Whenever the next event occurs, I would behoove all high school students to partake in this excellent experience!


To learn more about Shadow Day, and hear testimonials from staff and students, please stop by at our after school program which is at Mrs. Ellen Mall-Jonn's room; room 325.

UAlbany STEP Club will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday November 20th, and Wednesday November 21st 2012 due to Thanksgiving Break. Programming will resume on Monday November 26th 2012. Be safe and have an amazing break! Gobble Gobble Y’all!

                                                                                    

The month of October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a international campaign created by major breast cancer charities to promote awareness of the disease, raise funds for the cause and prevention and in addition to provide support to those that have been affected by breast cancer.

To promote awareness and raise funds for breast cancer, the UAlbany STEP Club decided to fundraise during the month of October within Albany High School. The idea was created by Albany High School faculty member, Ellen Mall-John, who is a survivor of the disease. Mc'Kayla, a STEP Club student, coordinated with Mrs. Mall-John, on what to fundraise, and who we should donate the funds to.

The initiative got everyone together, students and teachers, and tutors. They were all doing something to contribute, which was truly a great feeling. We made breast cancer awareness ribbons and keychains and in addition to that we made a giant card that was filled with words of inspiration and stories from students whose family members were affected by breast cancer.

Another touching memory from fundraising was who we received the funds from. Majority of the funds were from High School students that donated whatever they had to contribute to our fundraising. It was warming to see young people being engaged, involved and giving back to a great cause like this.

The collected funds are to be given to the New York Oncology Hematology Cancer Center in Albany, NY.

Last week I given the 2011-12 publication of SUNY's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP): Academic Achievement.  As I was glancing through the pages, I recognized that a STEP AHS tutor was the in the publication. The student was none other than our upcoming tutor, Billy Rodriquez. Billy's g.p.a at the end of her sophomore year was an astounding 4.0! Many dream of obtaining it, very few reach that plateau. 

We as an educational program are lucky to have a college student like Billy. She is a reflection of the values and traditions we have set at STEP for numerous years. Billy's grade personifies the epitome of hard work, dedication, perseverance and vision. It is also a constant reminder to our high school students and college tutors that any grade is obtainable when you put in the work.

With that being said, we at STEP would like to recognize and honor Billy Rodriguez for her academic achievement, and dedication to our Albany High School students. Thanks Billy!!!





(Note: Two other STEP tutors were mentioned in the publication, they are: Jared Spaulding 3.93, and Ariel Cordero 3.57.)

Today, we recognize three very talented and unique individuals that are a part of our STEP student staff; Maxwell Larbi, Patrick Piedra and Nancy Herrera. These tutors are returning staff from our pilot year of after school programming at Albany High School. 

 Max,Patrick and Nancy are cornerstones at our program. Besides providing great assistance with tutoring for our students, they offer FREE entertainment. With Maxwell's stepping, Patrick's comedy and Nancy's stories; this dynamic trio creates days of long lasting memories. 

We at STEP, are proud to honor and recognize the efforts of tutors that go above and the beyond for our students. With that being said, we just want to give a BIG THANK YOU to you guys!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!



(Nancy can be quite camera shy!! XP)