This past semester I transferred to Brooklyn College from Wesleyan University after taking a year and a half off for my mental health. I enjoyed my semester greatly and all of my professors were incredibly helpful in getting me back into the swing of things. My favorite class was my communications theory class and my art history course. Most of my classes were asynchronous which was refreshing and a good way to reintroduce me back into school because it took away the pressure and anxiety of sitting in a room and performing. Since moving to New York, I have had the opportunity to work as the Editorial Assistant for The Root, an online Black news and media site. It has been fantastic and I have worked with people such as Stacey Abrams, Cory Booker, Ayanna Pressley, Taraji P. Henson, Ava DuVernay and Tarana Burke of the "me too" movement. The Root has shown me so many incredible opportunities. I am majoring in Journalism and Media studies which has helped me secure an amazing summer opportunity through the company. I’ve also been working as a social media manager for a vegan web series which has taught me a lot about and health and wellness; a great tool in an insane time like this. In addition to my full course load, my job at The Root and my social media job, I also tutor two young children in order to cover the difference between my MVYouth award and my tuition since I am not yet a New York state resident. I have loved living in New York and being a Brooklyn College student.
Isabella Morais - Wesleyan University
So far, this year at Wesleyan has been both incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. I started the semester taking classes for a major that I am no longer pursuing, but I also took courses in Astronomy and Engineering that I never would have seen myself taking. However, all were very interesting, and I am so glad that I went outside of my comfort zone and took those classes. In December, I had the opportunity to run a project period at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School through the Patricelli Fellowship that I am part of at Wesleyan University. I had twelve students and each student was asked to create their own social non-profit that would create positive social change. The experience of teaching was the most rewarding of the entire year so far because I got to apply what I had been doing at school and have it greatly impact the lives of twelve students. At the end of the project period, Pete Steedman, Director of the Charter School, asked me to run another program in the spring and extended the teaching opportunity to peers from the fellowship as well!
I am most looking forward to this upcoming semester, because I will get to declare my major and minor (English, and a minor in Education Studies) and take classes that fit both my major and minor. I will also be focusing on developing a program for schools that implements teaching by Wesleyan students in different Vineyard Schools. My hope is that by the end of 2019, I will have created a replicable program that schools throughout New England can adopt. I am greatly looking forward to this next semester and the rest of the year, and I am even more excited to share the rest of the work I am doing with you!
Isabella Morais - Wesleyan University
My first semester at Wesleyan has been fantastic. I have learned so much from all of my professors, but even more than that, I have learned a lot from myself. Being a Charter School graduate, I spent a lot of time my junior and senior year learning how to be an independent learner. When I first got to Wesleyan, I was scared to go work in the library or ask for help with the writing workshop, however, as the semester chugged along, and classes got more difficult, I learned that the stacks in Olin Library are the only place where I can work– and it improved my grades by tenfold. I am grateful to MVYouth for the generous scholarship because it means that I can really focus on my studies and being on my mock trial team, instead of having to work my way through college. I am the only freshman who is on the Mock Trial B team, and I get to further my passion for law as well as be on a diverse team of students who feel the same way. Being at Wesleyan this first semester has really solidified my love of learning and I can’t wait to continue with it all this upcoming semester.