Student/Partner Alliance Holds Alumni Enrichment Panel

[SUMMIT, NJ] –May 6, 2022 Student/Partner Alliance(S/PA), a Summit based non-profit, which supports low-income, urban high schools in the greater Newark and Jersey City areas continues to serve its students virtually with enrichment programs over zoom. On Thursday, April 28th, a panel of S/PA Graduates from Hudson Catholic, St. Benedict’s Prep, Saint Vincent Academy, and Immaculate Conception High School shared what it is really like being in college today.

During the zoom session, the S/PA graduates Kimani Williams, Anthony Augustin, Brianna Mateo, Hervluida Metellus, and Quincy Slay shared tips on making the most out of your college experience, whether that meant networking with professors, getting the most appropriate summer job, or finding the best ways to navigating stress. Smaller break out rooms helped to facilitate a more open dialogue between students, mentors, and the panelists.

Kimani Williams(Immaculate Conception High School 2021 grad), a Biology and Public Health Pre-Med major and Peer Health Educator at Tuskegee University graduated from ICHS in 2020 and joined the panel because "she wanted students to understand the importance of having a balance, and understanding the importance of time-management in college. "

Quincy Slay(Hudson Catholic 2019 grad) noted, “The advice that I would like to give to students is to be open minded when going into college. Attending college and trying to pick a major can be very complex but the one thing that you need to remember is that you have the opportunity to explore before you make a final decision. Furthermore, make sure that you want to study the major that you pick because you want to graduate and be happy with the degree you walk across the stage with.”

The college students offered suggestions for work/life balance and fielded questions from both mentors in students.

One mentor noted: “Absolutely amazing! The advice (and the energy) was fantastic!”

For the past two years, S/PA has created and offered meaningful virtual events to keep the S/PA community connected while COVID cases were too high to allow for in person gatherings. As COVID is decreasing in our community, we are delighted to now be able to plan more in-person events to promote deeper connections between our mentors and mentees. We will also continue our very popular enrichment series with events such as career panels and job readiness in the coming months.

Executive Director Margarent Momber reflected “It was truly amazing to watch these young alumni thrive as panelists on the zoom. I remember seeing these young students as bright-eyed freshmen, and it is incredible to see them thriving as young adults and leaders in their colleges and universities as they gave back to the S/PA community. We are striving to increase alumni connections and these types of enrichment programs are perfect for this type of continued relationship.”

Student/Partner Alliance was founded in 1993 to support motivated high school students at private high schools in New Jersey’s urban areas of Essex, Hudson and Union counties with tuition assistance and mentoring to increase their chances for college admission and chances of earning college scholarships.

If you are interested in learning more about being a mentor with Student/Partner Alliance, please visit our website at www.studentpartneralliance.org.

ABOUT:

Student/Partner Alliance

The mission of Student/Partner Alliance (S/PA) is to support motivated high school students at private high schools in New Jersey’s urban areas of Essex, Hudson and Union counties with tuition assistance and mentoring to increase their chances for college admission and scholarships, and ultimately to lead successful and productive lives.

Research from mentor.org shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to strive and thrive, to attend and engage in school, and to reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:

– 55% more likely to be enrolled in college

– 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities

– 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.

– More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.

Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. Today, in our community there are so many young people who could benefit from having a mentor outside their family.

To learn more about the role mentoring plays in our community and to find volunteer opportunities with us visit www.studentpartneralliance.org. If you would like to learn more about our program, please contact me at akent@studentpartneralliance.org.