A Day at Penn with Ebe, Anita and Cody
The Penn Crest - what's with the fish?
A picture or a prophecy?
Standing in front of the School of Engineering - listening to our tour guide, Valerie, share a bunch of great stories that reiterate for me the history and traditions behind a great school like Penn.
The Wharton School of Business - where Anita has her sights set.
They LOVE the campus and I would LOVE to see them both go Ivy League....
Did you know Benjamin Franklin founded The University of Pennsylvania? Did you know that the story behind this statue of Ben is that he is missing a button ...
... because it rolled off and landed here. :)
My Ivy League thug in his Penn flatcap :)
It was a gorgeous fall day. A perfect day to get a tour of Penn. A perfect day to spend with two students who can actually do more than just dream about an Ivy League acceptance letter. Ebe can do it. She can go to an Ivy League school and I would not be doing my job if I didn't help her see what Ivy League looks like compared to UMBC or Johns Hopkins. The choice is up to her but now I can say I've helped open her eyes to the possibilities. She and Anita can both do it. They can set the tradition and expectation for more AVID Scholars to follow. I want Ebe to choose Penn. I want her to get out of Baltimore, not follow in her brother's footsteps (although they lead to EXCELLENCE) and experience what other places have to offer. I want Anita to choose her own path and not follow in her siblings' footsteps. She says NYU is on the top of her list - looks like we have another trip to plan!
I hope my other students can understand why I did this. Rather than looking at it like I'm playing favorites - I hope they can see "the because" without being jealous ... Because of the enormous amount of work Ebe has put into her education, she can indeed, look at Penn as a viable option ... Because I feel compelled to help another single mother who has raised three amazing children ... Because Ebe's older brother took time out of his life to come speak to my AVID students last year ... Because I want Ebe to make the most important decision of her life thus far with eyes wide open ...
So to all of my other AVID babies - don't hate, celebrate. We have an AVID scholar who can do what others before couldn't. In a search for equity, things can't and won't always be equal. I must meet each of my AVID students with what he/she needs and that means non-equal amounts of love, attention, and guidance. Ebe has rarely needed my guidance - but she needed my attention to make sure she placed her feet on that campus. Corey doesn't need my attention - but he does need my guidance in sending out applications to schools that will fit him. Stephaun doesn't need my attention but he does need my love as he traverses through his senior year while his mom is deployed.
There is one of me and 180 of you ... I hope that I can continue to give each of you the love, attention, and guidance you each need and deserve. In Jesus' name I pray ..........
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