I want to do Jumpstart to further help the community I am now living in. At home I completed service with organizations such as the YMCA, the Robin Hood Foundation, Girl Scouts, at my High School and work. Working at the YMCA as a counselor for 2 years after volunteering for 4 has made me love working with children and seeing them grow. Although the children are a bit older than the Jumpstart kids it is a way to serve and continue part of my old life in my new life. The Robin Hood Foundation, a charity with a similar message to Jumpstart, improves the living community and allows for children to have an education and life they wouldn’t have had while living in some of the most dangerous areas of New York City. Seeing this first hand and filming videos to share with the donors has further influenced me to continue to help others. When going to the Jumpstart table at orientation I knew it was the place for me, the idea of benefiting children that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity is amazing to be part of. Just in the first few days of being a corps. member I know it is a place for me to learn and be inspired. Service is a great part of my life and I look forward to working with all the Corps. members!
Love Alexandra (Alex) Fraioli
I am doing Jumpstart probably for the same reason everyone else does Jumpstart, I love kids. I have a lot of younger children in my family. That time spent babysitting them helped me discover that I like working with kids; however, it is not simply my enjoyment of children that motivates me to pursue this job. I have always thought that children, especially those from low-income households, need the opportunity to be exposed to positive role models. From personal experience, I know that a lot of them may not have a healthy role model at home to look up to. I come from a similar socio-economic background and the programs in my community similar to Jumpstart had a profound impact on me without a doubt. What I remember most from those programs were the volunteers or staff members that were in high school or closer to my age than the administrators. I looked up to them when I did not have anybody at home to look up to. I also think it is crucial to introduce the idea of college as early as possible. As the first member of my family to pursue a college degree, I can recognize the importance of encouragement and guidance when a child is deciding what to do in their future. I would like to give other children the opportunity to feel valued so, when the time comes, they will feel prepared and know that college is an option for them if they so choose. –Belen Flores
I have been working with children for the past 5 summers and it has truly been a rewarding experience. To know that you have been a positive influence on a child’s growth and development is amazing. While working with the youth I have had many experiences which I cherish immensely but what I’ve always wanted to do that I haven’t had many opportunities to do with children is enhance their early academic skills. Due to the fact that I worked at summer camps I was rarely assigned activities to do with the children that were geared toward education. When I had the opportunity I would try to implement activities of my own, which were fruitful in the end, but there was something missing. That thing was a team of likeminded individuals with the same goal as me: to enlighten and open the minds of children. Jumpstart is the place where I can meet these likeminded individuals, and I am excited to begin work with them and get Jumpstarts goal accomplished. ~Wesley Williams
I got the email telling me about JumpStart over the summer and right away it caught my eye. I’m doing Jumpstart largely because have always loved working with children since I helped my mom in her own preschool classroom back in my hometown. To be able to do that while helping those in low-income families made me very excited to be a part of the JumpStart program. Also being a part of JumpStart helps me get involved in more off campus activities and to be a larger part of the D.C community unlike some of the other internships at American. ~Brittney Thompson
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