CoL Member Spotlight on…

Arick Wade, serving 8th grade students at Anthony Middle School

What were you doing before serving in CoL?
I graduated from Syracuse University this past May where I majored in English Textual Studies and minored in Public Communications. I participated in several organizations while in my time at Syracuse such as being the fundraising chair for Syracuse's Children's Miracle Network Dance Marathon, OttoTHON, where all the money fundraised goes directly to Syracuse's local children's hospital.

Why did you decide to serve with CoL?
I decided to serve with COL for a multitude of reasons. One of them being the opportunity to live in Minneapolis, a place where both my parents grew up and a place where I have frequented throughout my life. The other was volunteering as a tutor at the Somali Bantu Community Center in Syracuse. Working with those kids and teenagers on Saturday mornings brightened my day and making an impact on their lives by just seeing them once a week was such a rewarding experience that I knew I would like to try out in Minneapolis. I am looking to serve the youth of Minneapolis and getting to know not only the students at my school, but also the other COL members and all their stories throughout my service year.

What is one thing you’ve learned through your service so far?
As my role is officially known as an Academic Coach, I would say learning the behind the scenes of what academic coaching actually is is one thing that has been the most intriguing part of my service. Having a licensed academic coach come into our COL seminars four times over the course of the first two months helped demonstrate to me how important the role of a coach is in students’ lives. Whether it be asking a student what they want to be when they grow up or whether it be trying to pass next week’s science test, having a student set a goal for themselves and following through on reaching those goals and helping them each step of the way is extremely rewarding to me.

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