Scholar Athletes By: Taylor Tharp

“Supporting academic achievement through athletics”

Academic Reflection

Scholar Athlete Tutor Appreciation Event, 2015

Social Inequality

•  The urban youth population that Scholar Athletes serves does not have the same opportunities as other youth due to the lack of resources and opportunity (i.e. socioeconomic status, familial support, college/career knowledge and resources, positive adult role model, etc.) •  Example: Many students I worked with wanted to play a

sport in college but they did not have the money/knowledge needed to participate in club sport teams, which are integral to the college recruitment process

•  Growing up in a middle-class family with parents that were always heavily involved in all of my athletic and educational endeavors, I was not aware of the struggles that other teens face •  Before starting this co-op I never understood the other side of the

scenario – the teens who have little or no support from their parents

Social Inequality

•  Many of the students I worked with struggled in school due to a variety of personal factors – including an unhealthy home life

•  This co-op opportunity has given me the chance to learn more about these unfortunate circumstances and as a result has helped me learn how to successfully communicate with these students who find themselves in such extremely difficult situations

•  My students were very skilled and talented but lacked the opportunity they needed to achieve the success they are able of achieving on their own •  Working for Scholar Athletes and serving as a resource to help these students

graduate from high school and participate in postsecondary planning will ultimately better the lives of others in the community in which I serve

•  One more person to graduate from high school means there will be one more person contributing to the community that has a less chance of going to prison, being unemployed and costing taxpayers more money •  The impact of Scholar Athletes is ultimately fostering more contributing

members to society

Social Inequality

•  The knowledge I have acquired regarding this very unique population has provided me with the insight I need to pursue my dream career further •  Example: Knowing that there are a multitude of factors that

contribute to a student’s low GPA – most of the time it is not because they do not want to do the work, it is because they are preoccupied with other duties that I was not aware of before (i.e. looking for jobs because they are the only source of income for their families)

•  Once you know more about the lives of the people you are serving, you have the ability to modify the way you interact with them – making the biggest positive impact

Personal Reflection

all BSA Awards Ceremony, 2015

How did you spend the majority of your time on co-op?

•  I served as an office intern and mentor/tutor for Scholar Athletes •  I spent the majority of my time completing administrative tasks,

planning and managing various spring events/initiatives, conducting research, and tutoring and mentoring high school students in Boston •  The population I worked with in the direct service aspect of my job was

the urban youth population in various Boston Public High Schools (i.e. Dorchester Academy, Community Academy of Health & Science, South Boston High School, Madison Park High School)

What did you hope to learn on this co-op?

•  One of the many draws of this co-op was the fact that I would be splitting my time between administrative work and direct service •  I saw this as a great opportunity to find out which aspect of

Human Services I enjoyed more – working in the field or more behind the scenes work

•  Through this experience not only did I find out what population I want to work with in the future (i.e. at-risk youth), I also discovered that I am more interested in nonprofit management and data collection, analysis, and implementation.

What was the most interesting aspect of your job?

•  The most interesting and exciting task of my job was event planning – I was in charge of planning, preparing, and administrating major tasks for my organization’s various spring events (i.e. Scholar Athletes Gala, Scholar Athletes Tutor Appreciation Event, Scholar Athletes Scholarship Banquet, and the all BSA Awards Ceremony) •  My experiencing event planning for Scholar Athletes was both exciting

and interesting to me because it was something that I have never done before and it was a lot of responsibility

•  I realized that not only am I very skilled in this facet, but I also really enjoy doing it

What was something new that you did during co-op?

•  Event planning/management •  Booking venues for events •  Contacting, communicating, and facilitating orders of

materials •  Event photography •  Budgeting

How did your coursework help you be effective?

•  Since I served as both a tutor and mentor, I have utilized many techniques I learned from my counseling course when I worked with my students •  Practicing active listening techniques and maintaining awareness of my

body language were both very helpful when interacting with my students •  I also used my knowledge of cultural relativism when tutoring and mentoring

my students, which I was introduced to in my introduction to sociology course and discussed in both my counseling and culture courses •  The populations of the students I worked with were an extremely diverse

group •  They originated from all over the world and as a result, possessed their

own unique cultural beliefs and values •  Whenever I worked with a student, I always kept in mind that our beliefs

and values differed and that was perfectly okay •  I never pushed my culture on my students, nor did I compare my culture to

those of my students

Did you encounter any ethical dilemmas while on co-op?

•  One of my students confided in me that she was in an abusive relationship

•  This was a tough situation for me because I had to allow her to make her own judgments about the situation without giving my subjective opinion •  I reminded her that no one deserves abuse and made sure

she was safe •  I was informed that administrators were already aware of

the situation and it was being addressed •  I followed Scholar Athletes protocol regarding crisis

management and the situation was resolved

Did this co-op help you decide what you want to do next?

•  Through this co-op experience, I have definitely solidified what I would like to do as my future career – providing at-risk youth with the services and opportunities they need to demonstrate their full potential and achieve the success they are so capable of achieving

•  I have found my passion serving this population and helping them show society that they are achieving so much more than the majority of people think they can •  My hope for the future is to work for a non-profit

organization that serves at-risk youth (i.e. Year Up, City Year) or become a high school math teacher

Working at Scholar Athletes was such a rich and fulfilling experience for me. I feel incredibly grateful to have received the opportunity to work for such an impactful organization and I will miss all of my coworkers so much!