A 2017-2018 Phillips Alumni Scholar

A 2017-2018 Phillips Alumni Scholar

2017-2018 Phillips Alumni Scholar (Emmanuel College ’21) Elizabeth Suarez has been very active in her community of Lawrence, Massachusetts. She volunteered her time visiting the elderly, sorting through donated items for a local thrift shop, and often, serving food at soup kitchens. Elizabeth recalled, “I started doing these activities when I was younger, so these activities have always been a part of me… when you see other people who may not have everything you have, and live a different life than the one you live, it changes you and builds you up. It makes you always want to find a way to help, whether it is serving food or simply having a conversation with a person who comes to the kitchen that day.” She credits her grandmother with teaching her to serve others when she was just a child, so that now the desire to help others is completely ingrained in her.

As Elizabeth grew older, she translated her volunteering experience into the foundation of a career. The summer before her senior year of high school, she took on a job in nutritional services at Lawrence General Hospital. This past summer she told us, “Now, I am going off to college and have pursued a new job called Bring Care Home where I am a Personal Care Assistant and a Homemaker. I provide home health care services in the form of help and support for those who need it. Throughout my college experience I hope to continue with this job or in the area as it is something I love to do.” As she pursues her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Emmanuel College, Elizabeth knows that no matter what, “I will continue helping others and leaving my mark on people in a positive manner.”

A 2015-2016 Phillips Alumni Scholar

2015-2016 Alumni Scholar Kathleen Hemingway (University of New England, ’19) hails from beautiful but small Block Island in Rhode Island, where she founded the Student Leadership Team in the K-12 Block Island School. Growing out of an internship with the school social worker, the team is her response to the challenge, “What is one thing you would change at school?” Remembering her own middle school years as a time of sometimes awkward transitioning, Kathleen sought a way to make life for the younger students less intimidating while also serving as a good role model for them. Her sophomore year, she used extensive surveys and meetings with faculty to determine the need for the program and the willingness of the high schoolers to serve as mentors. Kathleen and her advisor decided that the program would hold fun activities for the middle school at least once a quarter while offering mentoring, tutoring and help with specific skill sets for students from kindergarten through seventh grade. Students would be referred through the office, and then the leadership team would match the student to an appropriate Leader. The Leader then developed the specific action plan for the student in concert with the parent(s). The plan included an end date, although the student and mentor could opt to continue if both felt the partnership was working. The Leadership Team also created appealing quarterly activities and carefully documented each event to evaluate its success and facilitate the planning for the following years. These events included scavenger hunts, movie nights, picnics and themed holiday parties.

“Overall, the team has made incredible strides to give kids the opportunity to feel like themselves and show them that, regardless of what they may think, there are people out there who care about them and are willing to listen. I was surprised by the impact the program had on the Student Leaders as well. They learned how to handle difficult, unforeseen circumstances, to plan, implement and evaluate an event and work with the faculty. I learned how to admit when I need help and ask for it and how to lead a group while giving everyone a voice. I will carry the lessons I have learned from my peers, the students and the adults involved for the rest of my life. One person can really make a difference, and I can be that person.”

The Leadership Team is in good hands to continue even though Kathleen is now at University of New England. So far, she is involved with Habitat for Humanity and the Education Club. Her work-study job is service-oriented: Through America Reads /America Counts she tutors at a local elementary school, currently her favorite activity. She looks forward to becoming an elementary school teacher.