Ivan Avalos

During the summer scholars program we were assigned a service-learning project. This project indicated that we go to an organization such as the Boys and Girls club or Girls Inc. etc., to help a student, from 5th to 8th grade, achieve a college goal. With the assistance of my partner, Gatluak Ramdiet, we decided to go to Omaha South’s Boys and Girls club. Once we were there we spoke to the head coordinator, Paco Fuentes, and explained to him the purpose of our assignment. After our meeting Paco agreed and announced for all 5th through 8th graders interested in college to meet with us. I had not known that we were expected to pick the student and it frightened me horribly. Once I stepped into the classroom filled with little kids all waiting to be picked I felt my stomach drop to my butt. I did not want to be the one to tell all these little faces that only one could be picked. I told my partner and he felt the same way, but luckily he was kind enough to be the barer of bad news. Oddly enough all the little boys were excited, they even wanted to make a game out of it. With the help of the children we agreed to do a Rock-Paper-Scissors game to figure out two finalists that would then be interviewed for us to pick one. After the game and interviews we ended up with Ivan Avalos. Ivan is an eleven-year-old boy that will be going in to 6th grade. We picked Ivan because he showed potential and the eagerness to strive. After everything we set up a scheduled for our meetings. W decided to meet at the boys and girls club every Tuesday after he received his parent’s permission. Our first assignment was for Ivan to make a collage of three jobs that he would like to be when he grows up. Ivan was really excited with this part, and we discovered that Ivan would like to be a policeman, firefighter, or a pilot. After his collage was made Ivan told us his story on why he wanted to be a policeman most of all, in such ways we got to know a little more of each other that day. The following assignment, for our second meet, was for my partner and I to create a power point to show Ivan. The power point was to be about tips on helping him get on track for the careers that interested him starting with high school, going to college, and than facts about the careers. Ivan listened to my partner and me attentively and asked us some questions that he wanted us to explain to him. Our third assignment was for Ivan to write an essay on what he had learned in order for him to obtain his number one choice. Ivan wrote about becoming a policeman and referred to the power point we had made for some facts and details. In the end Ivan had not enjoyed that part too much but he did mention to have had found interesting the experience of writing an essay out side of the format provided for him in middle school. Our last meeting with Ivan was on July 7, 2009. There was chips and candy that my partner and I brought but the sadness of loosing "our child" was still present. Our final assignment was for Ivan to write an action plan about his goals of obtaining a B average in high school and succeeding in college. In the end of our assignment we briefly reviewed with Ivan the key thing that he had learned from our meetings. Over all with this assignment I hope that Ivan learned a thing or two about his future plans and career goals. What I obtained with this assignment was the friendship of my partner Gatluak and the experience of working with others.