SMU...Here he comes!

I was sitting in our Parent Academy when Tameshia came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and said she needed to talk to me. Thinking the worst, I  walked to the back with her. Once we got to the back, she explained to me, "Michael just got a $200,000 scholarship!"

I was speechless! $200,000...to SMU! Oh my goodness!

I first met Michael a few years ago when the great people at Education is Freedom provided us with a summer intern. Michael helped us get things organized that summer. Michael attends North Dallas High School. This year, when we started our Digital Connectors program out of Roseland, we recruited from North Dallas. Though we hadn't seen Michael in a couple of years, he remembered us and was one of the first people to sign up.

Though we can't take credit for all of Michael's hard work and persistence in being involved in many different programs and writing and following through on college applications and such, we can say that Michael will be more prepared technologically when he finishes Digital Connectors in May.

By May, Michael will be equipped with a Cisco IT Essentials certification that will provide him with the skills and knowledge of rebuilding computers from scratch. He will know how to create a mobile app. He will have completed a leadership skills module as well as a financial literacy module...all of which will be extremely important in college--especially at such a competitive school like SMU...and especially as an engineering major!

When Tameshia told me, I immediately went downstairs to congratulate him and do a quick interview. He reads this blog so help me in congratulating him on his amazing achievement of receiving one of only four Dedman Scholarships offered each year at SMU!



CONGRATS & WAY TO GO, MICHAEL!!!

Ambitious Leader Award of 2009

The Ambitious Leader is one whose determination and spirit pushes one to fulfill their goals. Two people I've gotten to know this year deserve this award.



Tameshia Rudd-Ridge
Like Terrence, Tameshia was originally hired to teach in our After-School Academy. However, two weeks before the programs started, we were told we had received a grant for a Digital Connectors program. All we had to do was have an instructor. Having an instructor was a daunting task considering that the grant didn’t pay for a full time person, besides the fact that the instructor had to be someone who knew technology and had a relationship with the teens in the community.

Luckily, during Tameshia’s interview, we had asked her how she felt about technology (thinking in terms of our After-School Academy). Her answer stuck with me. “Oh! I am the QUEEN of technology!” Partly because of that answer, we hired her on and gave her a technology coordinator title so she could begin helping us get our After-School Academy better equipped and ready to do technology projects. Knowing this information, I was able to advocate for Tameshia to be a full-time AmeriCorps member and oversee the Digital Connectors program as well.

The interview had allowed us to get a glimpse of the ambitious leader that she was. Tameshia has ambitions and desires to do amazing things…and none of her ambitions are small accomplishments. Law school, a humanitarian, diplomat, philanthropist, entrepreneur, visionary, non-profit founder, president, nobel prize winner, educator, and having multiple degrees are some of the things on her to-do list. Since, at 23, she’s already completed some of these, I know she’s on her way to finishing the others as well.



Fabiola Perez
As happens with many of the kids, teens, and young adults I meet, I met Fabiola through her boyfriend, Gustavo. I found out Fabiola wants to be a teacher so I instantly tried to recruit her. Unfortunately for us, she was working another job and didn’t have the time to dedicate to the After-School Academy as well.

Through different conversations, I discovered that Fabiola is undocumented and has different struggles because of that. I tried to connect her with different resources whenever she asked, though I didn’t feel I was able to be that helpful.

At the end of the summer, Fabiola needed help and guidance again. She was determined to go to UT-Austin, but once an undocumented immigrant student moves on to a four-year university, expenses are higher and cost often becomes a barrier. Besides that, fear was setting in as the school began to ask a lot of questions. Knowing what had happened to other friends and family when people start asking questions about immigration status, Fabiola got scared. But her determination to reach her goals caused her to persevere.

Before I could ever get back to her with a resource I’d found or information I might have discovered, Fabiola had already moved forward. She was not disabled by her fears. Quite the contrary. I believe her fears propelled her. She utilized resources, calling people she knew could help guide her in the right direction and quickly following up on their advice.

Through my different conversations with her, I found out that Fabiola is an extremely determined person with a variety of interests in putting her stamp on the world, much like Tameshia. In a few years, she will be a great educator who I look forward to having in our school systems. But she does not intend to stop with her bachelor’s degree. Fabiola is determined to get a master’s and doctorate and move into the role of a principal or a dean.

The Traveling Journal

Our Education Department has what's called a Traveling Journal. Since our programs meet at different times and in different buildings, I think it's important for each of us to see what the other is doing on a particular day. Each staff member signs up for a day and is supposed to chronicle that day. They can write whatever they want. They can draw, attach items, etc. The journal creates a daily history for us.

I've meant to share some of those with you...and will try to do better...but Tameshia's struck me as one that is really representative of what a day in the life of the Education Department is like. I'll let her speak...

Today I feel like pulling my hair out. I'm so frustrated at the moment. I don't know what happened at school with the kids today but they all seem to be in a bad mood. Stinky attitudes all day today. Doesn't help that I have a headache either.

As I'm writing, I'm getting less frustrated. I just asked Iesha (Dr. Iesha) what she did at the doctor (physical therapy with Ms. Janet) and expected her to tell me not demonstrate it! I'm really impressed and delighted that she remembers. She just asked me to go to the internet (blog) so she can show me something. When the blog comes up...she asked me to make it big. Then she says to her classmates, "Look, I'm famous. I'm Dr. Iesha!" She then tells me, "You see this button (talking about the timer at the therapy place)...I pushed that first then...." (and so on and so on).

I can't be frustrated now.

My class has finally calmed down and now we're playing "roll-a-turkey" on the computer. They love it!! When you finish the game...you've drawn a turkey. Ladaysha has truly (slowly but surely) become a leader. When she finished her turkey, she started talking about what she's thankful for. Her classmates then followed. I like when they come up with their own ideas from a lesson I planned. It's refreshing.

So now it's 2 hours later...

I'm now in the Teen U lab with the Digital Connectors. I walked into the building at exactly 6:00 p.m. All of my students were together saying, "Ms. Tameshia! You're late!" Wow!!!!! These can't be the teenagers the media displays. They're ready and excited to learn.

They've bonded so well. They work together without me saying so and get mad if I put them with the same partner over again. It's all kind of surreal to me. What's wrong with them...I think to myself sometimes (haha). Tonight they learned the difference between the internet and the world wide web and my "flows/raps" about the differences. They took it serious and actually wrote really good flows. Dung thinks they could get a record deal. haha

So much for being frustrated!!

Tameshia Rudd-Ridge is our technology guru who teaches the 2nd-3rd graders in the After-School Academy and is the Coordinator of the Digital Connectors program for teenagers.

This is why I love my job!

Digital Connectors...the wave of the future

I keep telling people that every day I become more and more impressed with the 20-something age group. They are innovative critical thinkers who know and utilize technology and want to change the world. And so many of them are on the path to do just that!



Tameshia is an African American Studies AND Latin American Studies double major. She has taken some time off so she can save up to finish her last year at school. Though I am definitely encouraging her to go back, I'm extremely glad we have her and want to find ways to keep her!

When we interviewed Tameshia for the After-School Academy position, she was very open about her passion and desire to change the world. I could tell it came from the very depths of her and was in no way a passing phase. We want people like Tameshia on our team!

Tameshia started off as a part-time Americorps member working in our After-School Academy, but because of her amazing skill and love for technology, we quickly advocated for her to run our evening Digital Connector program for the teens.

You can see an example of her work by going to the After-School Academy blog and see how she's now added tabs and redesigned the background.

When I asked Tameshia if she would be interested in being the instructor for the Digital Connectors program, Tameshia said she would. Because she's a fairly quiet person, I had no idea how excited she was. After walking out of my office and getting partially out the door, she turned back around and came back to say, "I just need to give you a hug! I'm so excited!"

Before we even knew if we could officially hire her, I handed her the 2" binder of the currciulum (on a Wednesday or Thursday). She emailed me that Sunday saying she had read the entire curriculum and had a few questions.

Tameshia has taken it upon herself (again, before we even sure we could hire her) to attend the Friday night and Saturday meetings with the Teen University. None of that is in her job description. She assured me that whether or not she got the position, she would still be more than willing to help. Tameshia believes in building relationships and already has 6-8 teenagers interested in the program. As I type this, she is in a meeting at North Dallas High School presenting it to some of their students.

I can't wait to see the results of the Digital Connectors program. For the last three days, my home internet has been down. I kept thinking, "Soon, I'll be able to hire some of our teenagers from Roseland to fix this for me!!" I look forward to that moment and will gladly pay them to do so!

In the meantime, if you work for a company that focuses on technology, have some connections to help us get the high speed computers and software needed to start the program, or are part of the technology departments of one of the local colleges, let us know! The program starts soon and we'd love for you to be involved as we move forward!

After school programs matter

A lot has been happening in Roseland Townhomes this year. At the beginning of the summer, we began working to make the Community Center, Education programs, kids and adult programs, Central Dallas services, and church seamless. Our efforts are working!

We now have a great Parent Academy that meets the third Thursday of every month and focuses on Empowerment, Enrichment, Education, and Employment. We had 11 parents at our first meeting with a powerful presentation from a community organizer on the Rights and Responsibilities of Parents and their interactions with the schools.

Though there is much more that goes on through the Community Center that I can talk about later, my passion is the Education department.

On August 18, the Education department at Roseland was asked to put together programming for a vacant building at Roseland. I had to scramble to get it all in place by September, but as I have figured out through the years, things that are meant to work out always do!

Last Monday we kicked off our programs in Roseland. (yes, that’s with an “s”).



As we have had for 14 years, our After-School Academy (ASA) continues. This year Danielle Evans is leading up the effort and doing a wonderful job. We have three amazing Americorps members--Anna Hart, Phillip Hawkins, and Tameshia Ridge who are helping her manage our 30 kids and numerous classes. The ASA has partnered with Susie Marshall with the Gleaning Network of Texas. She is helping our kids create a fantastic community garden that we are hoping will become a mini-farmer’s market (run by the kids) to the Roseland community. We are also partnering with Shawn Williams of Dallas South News who will be helping our kids become junior reporters, with the hopes/plans of them reporting out on the Dallas South News site in a month or so.

We now have the Roseland Library/Bookstore. It’s run by Katrina Hobbs, Americorps. Katrina is at UTA majoring in Education and has been a part of our programs for 14 years. She’s so excited about beginning to work with kids on their reading. We sell books there for 25 cents for paperbacks and 50 cents for hardbacks. Kids are buying them right and left!

We also have a Teen University run by Terrence Brooks, Americorps. Terrence wants to run his own non-profit one of these days, but I think I might be able to sell him on sticking around for ours once he gets out of school and we can hire a full time person. He’s amazing with the teens. He’s told me some stories of really helping them with their reading and school work and how their resistance is beginning to dwindle. We just received a grant in partnership with UTD that will provide 2-4 college students to work with the teens on homework, college preparation, and career research. We’ve got some great plans!

Finally, we received a grant from One Economy in conjunction with CTIA and Comcast (you may hear about it…they are making a national announcement during the week of Oct. 5). It’s a Digital Connectors program. Tameshia, who also works in our ASA, will be running the program. Tameshia is our “Queen of Technology” and is extremely excited about teaching the teens. The program is for 14-21 year olds and focuses on several skills. Technology is the big focus, but they also has a leadership, financial literacy, and service component. Through the program, the teens will become certified by Cisco Systems to be able to rebuild computers. They will also be creating a mobile app and be creating videos throughout the program. I am so excited we were chosen to be a part of that and can’t wait to see what happens once the group mobilizes and becomes technology point people for the Roseland community.

Whew! So…please! Come visit us!! Great things are happening and I would love to show you what they really look like!

More to come.... :)