Back to High School
A new program started by Widener undergraduates, who want to make a difference in the lives of Chester High School students through after-school programming, is gaining momentum.
With the help of the Office of Civic Engagement, Assistant Dean Gretchen Mielke, and two highly motivated Widener students, the program at Chester High started this fall with a small group of teens taking part. It has grown to about 20 high school students who participate regularly.
Widener students provide tutoring and mentoring, through a variety of activities. The program is notable because it happens right in the high school, so teens do not have to look far to find the resource. Widener students bring encouragement and support with them when they visit.
The initiative began through multiple conversations between Chester High School faculty and Widener faculty and students. They recognized there was a need for high school students to have access to resources that would help them pursue higher education.
鈥淪tudents love when we come. They see people that are young, look like them, and share similar stories. But more importantly they see how much we genuinely care about being there with them,鈥 said Widener junior DeShawn Ivey, one of the student facilitators.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see the Widener students participating in the activities and being so involved with us,鈥 said Chester High junior Destinie Shaw. 鈥淚t makes us want to keep doing it.鈥
Ivey is a junior finance major heavily involved on campus. Fellow facilitator Taylor McHenry is a sophomore psychology/pre-physical therapy major, and also very active. Still, they, with other Widener students, make time to visit the high school two to three times a week. They do homework help, one-on-one mentoring, tutoring, play chess with students, help with cooking classes, and attend poetry workshops.
鈥淓very week we get to interact with about 20 different students, and over the last few months I鈥檝e seen how open they鈥檝e become about discussing their futures. They ask a lot of questions, and we鈥檙e glad to be there to answer them,鈥 McHenry said.
Chester High freshman Latif Mciver enjoys the programming. 鈥淚t gives me something to do after school, keeps me busy and involved,鈥 he said.
Both Ivey and McHenry see a future for the program, noting it has the potential to help lower crime rates, send students to college with scholarships, and enhance relations between Widener and the Chester community.
