Sharing the journey :
MENTORS BUILD HOPE FOR AT-RISK STUDENTS
Intentional efforts to provide students what they need , when they need it – Equity for All – can spring up anywhere , endure and multiply to ensure the success of the most at-risk student populations .
30 Leadership
Equity for All is the clear banner call of our day . Providing students what they need , when they need it is the direction we receive from such notables as Jeff Duncan Andrade . To do so , requires intentional efforts on our part . What follows is a short illustration about one such intentional effort .
I have known Shonda Burrus for the past 13 years . I hired her as my secretary when I served as deputy principal of Vista Murrieta High School , then the newest high school in the district .
What struck me most about Shonda at that time and now , is her unrelenting desire to impact the lives of young people from whatever chair she may be sitting . Shonda went on to pursue her bachelor ’ s and master ’ s degrees in education along with a Pupil Personnel Credential . She now serves as a high school counselor at Vista Murrieta High .
While my secretary , I recall going to her at the end of the day and sharing my thoughts of a burning need to intervene on behalf of the African American female students on our campus . At that time , there was a segment of this student population who were “ lost .” Lost to the lies about them as girls of color : crude , rude , sexually provocative and prone to gang involvement . Lost to the narrative that they could not achieve . Lost to the hope and possibility that is a birthright to each and every student .
These false beliefs played out in the data . Our suspension data , dress-code violations , negative interface with faculty and staff , and of course their lack of progress toward successful graduation , routinely showed African American girls closely shadowing their male counterparts . In 2006 , one of our girls lost her life to gang violence while visiting friends in San Diego . We knew something must be done .
I spoke with Shonda about the need for mentorship . I shared that every one of our girls has the capacity to learn , but what they lack is the confidence to believe that they could achieve . I looked to Shonda to intervene from where she served at the time as my secretary . She enthusiastically accepted my appeal , realizing quite clearly that , as deputy principal and all the responsibilities therein , this was a feat I could not do on my own .
By Pamela Jo Wilson