As Derrick puts it, “It made the classes in school way easier because we already went through it in advance. Derrick remembers the experience as an opportunity to learn new things with his cohort, including friends he grew up with.Įach summer, Black Star Rising helps prepare African-American students for math and science classes in the school year to come. Black Star Rising prepares African-American students for STEM careers by providing cohort-based instruction in math, science, and engineering. In 8th grade, he found out about SFUSD’s Black Star Rising program from Linda Jordan at the African-American Achievement and Leadership Institute, who gave him an extra push to join. I want to be able to come back and help.”ĭerrick grew up in Potrero Hill, and attended San Francisco public schools K-12 – at Harvey Milk and McKinley Elementary Schools, Marina Middle School, and Mission High School. I want to be a resource to people, specifically in low income communities and communities of color. So I decided to incorporate my artistic side, to help people process things and gain mental wellness through art. “I have attended therapy that I felt only re-traumatized me. Now, DeYani’s at Dillard University, a leading HBCU, where she’s studying psychology with the goal of becoming an expressive arts therapist. There are classes offered at SOTA where you can go in and do homework with tutors who come in to help you, and get your grades up.” I learned to communicate when I need extra support. My Mom was really adamant about that, too. Once I got connected with the counselors and support staff at my school, they taught me how to advocate for myself. My first two years at SOTA, my grades were passing, but I was struggling. And she was active in SOTA’s Black Student Union, serving as its president in her senior year.īut she’s also faced obstacles. At School of the Arts (SOTA), she joined the technical theater program, painting scenery and using power tools to build sets. In fourth grade, she helped co-found the Radical Monarchs, a troop of girls of color who were active in promoting social justice. As a community, students, teachers, and faculty were all able to work together to help improve the arts, one small step at a time.”ĭe’Yani has an impressive resume as an artist and community-builder. “Being a part of the arts strengthened my empathy and collaboration. She led breakout rooms for Districtwide arts meetings, helping teachers understand what students want in their classrooms. Jazmine also built her leadership skills through SFUSD’s Arts Collaborative. “Being part of the internship really solidified that I want to pursue architecture or engineering in college.” Now, she’s studying engineering at Stanford. And through O’Connell’s career pathways, she was exposed to construction and engineering, and got an architecture internship. Through the Code Nation program, she learned the basics of how to code in HTML, JavaScript and CSS. I really enjoyed seeing that people were able to express their culture through art, and I was inspired to create my own art.”Īt John O’Connell, Jazmine’s passion for art connected with preparation for a career. Jazmine’s interest in art started while growing up in the Mission District: “There's always murals in my neighborhood, something to look at when you're on your walk to school. When you go for a job or when you go off to college, you’re going to meet so many people from different backgrounds, so being at a diverse school definitely prepares you, so you’re not caught off guard, you’re not in a bubble.” I think that every teacher is willing to help you.”Īs she heads to Stanford to study computer science, artificial intelligence, and biology, Agnes feels prepared: “Mission exposes you to what the real world is going to look like. “At Mission High School, there’s a level of support that’s unmatched. Lau had office hours and would stay after school to tutor students or give extra credit. It’s the way that they teach and how supportive they are, wanting you to stay after school to learn about a topic that you may not understand or that you may want to learn more about.”Īgnes loves math, and appreciated that her teacher Mr. “The teachers really push you to challenge yourself and teach you skills that are valuable in your lifetime. In her time at Mission High, Agnes grew academically and had her worldview expanded by both her teachers and her fellow students.
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