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What the tutors learned

Through their participation


in service through the
Foley Center, three
Spring Hill students find
that when you help others,
you also help yourself.

Phillip Travis 16, Derrick Robbins 17 and Brandon Myers 18 are three
young men who have much in common. All three come from humble
backgrounds. All currently attend or graduated from Spring Hill College.
And all have taken a leadership role in the After-School Tutoring Program
for the Mobile County Public School System, one of the
key programs of Spring Hill Colleges Foley Center. But
perhaps what most unites these three young men is their
passion to make a difference.
In their roles as tutors and site coordinators at Elizabeth S. Chastang Middle School, each says that the students they tutor have given them as much or more than
they have given, inspiring the three to discover qualities
within themselves such as leadership, responsibility,
proactivity and compassion that have the potential to
leave a lasting impact.
I saw myself in the kids and felt like I could be a role
model for them. We give them inspiration, says Travis.
Tutoring was the highlight of my day. Going to Chastang
and seeing the kids and all their smiling faces it was
better than track practice to me.
Working with the Foley Center really sparked my
passion to work with kids, says Robbins. I saw a lot of
myself in the kids at Chastang. When they saw I came
from a similar background as them, they saw me as a
role model.
Being around those students and seeing how hard these kids had to
work, it instilled in me a respect and a desire to help, says Myers. They
give me so much more than I could ever teach them.

From left to right, Betty Hannah,


Principal Bernard Everett,
and Karen Cannon give their
full support to the After-School
Tutoring Program at Elizabeth S.
Chastang Middle School.

Stepping Up to Serve
When we asked Phillip to be the site coordinator at Chastang, he
immediately understood that this was a place that was very special to him.
Chastang is right in the heart of an inner city neighborhood that has experienced a lot of difficulties. Phillip identified with the children more strongly
than anyone weve had there as a site coordinator, and they totally took to

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Spring Hill College Magazine

Winter 2016

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him. They saw him as a mentorhe saw his role that


way as well, adds Kathleen Orange, PhD, associate
professor of political science at Spring Hill, guiding
tour-de-force and director of the Foley Center since its
founding in 1991 until August of this year.
After Travis, Robbins assumed the site coordinator
leadership role, which now rests in the hands of Myers.
My experience with Phillip, Derrick and Brandon
has been awesome, says Betty Hannah, sixth grade
teacher at Chastang. We work well together, and they
are some great role models for our students. They are
frequently coming up with innovative ways of communicating with our students.
Spring Hill students involved in the Foley Center outreach tutoring program work with students after school
two times each week. They help the school children
with homework and focus primarily on enhancing
their skills in reading and math. One of the measurable
goals of the program is to have each student improve
one grade level in reading over the course of a year.
The Spring Hill College tutoring program has
brought a wonderful partnership to us, which has led to
a positive change of perspective for our students, says
Bernard Everett, principal of Chastang. When a college
student tutors, they not only help in the academic
growth of a middle school student, they become a
living, breathing person that the student can look up to
thereby becoming a real role model. I tutored middle
school students when I was an undergraduate student.
I personally know the benefits. Being an educator for
20 years, it is good to know that traditions of service,
tried and true, still exist.

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Spring Hill College Magazine

Winter 2016

When our students struggle with reading and math,


the tutors make them feel that they can climb any
mountain. All it takes with our children is putting forth
the effort and believing that they can do it, Hannah
adds.
Travis, Robbins and Myers started in the program as
tutors, but each soon progressed to a supervisory role
as the site coordinator. Site coordinators are responsible for team attendance, time sheets, materials,
coordination with supervising teachers and snacks.
And all three say that the experience has brought out
the best in them.
I think the leadership came out in me from my
experience with the Foley Center and Spring Hill
College, says Travis. As a site coordinator, I had more
responsibility, but I always let them know I was there
to listen. It was more than just tutoring. Travis, who
is from Poplarville, Mississippi, and attended Spring
Hill on a track scholarship, graduated last May with a
degree in mass communications. Although no longer a
student at Spring Hill, he still tutors Chastang students
once a week and volunteers his time to serve as a
coach for track and basketball. Giving back to children
is important to me, he added.
In working with kids in a role of leadership, I have
been able to develop myself professionally, says Robbins, who is from Monroeville, Alabama. I have grown
as a person I am more patient and understanding,
and I feel more confident about taking on leadership positions on campus. I was able to be a resident
advisor. Robbins, who plans to graduate in May of
2017 with a degree in sociology, serves as co-chair-

man of the Men of Color Council (MOCC), which he


helped start on the Spring Hill campus. (For more on
the MOCC, please visit shc.edu/mocc.) He is also a
recipient of the colleges Outreach Service Award for
his work with the group in the community.
Myers, a junior majoring in mass communications,
had his own experience with being tutored while
in high school in New Orleans. It instilled in me a
desire to learn and help people, he adds. Were there
tutoring these kids and serving as mentors, but we also
want them to see that college students care. And we
want them to realize that college is also an option for
them. Ive learned that each individual and each kid
is different. I try to connect with all of the students, as
well as the teacher and principal. Its made me a more
well-rounded individual. Its helped me as a professional. And its helped me spiritually.

About the Foley Center


The Foley Center, founded in 1991 and named to honor the community service work of Rev. Albert Foley,
SJ, provides Spring Hill students with opportunities to
engage in community outreach, expand their awareness of social justice and open their eyes to situations
of need in ways they may not have done before.
The center coordinates more than 500 Spring Hill
student volunteers at 50 partner sites each semester.
According to Erik Goldschmidt, PhD, director of the
Foley Center, this adds up to about 25,000 hours of
community service and a $575,000 investment in
the community each year. For a small college that is

very significant, says Goldschmidt, who assumed the


directorship of the Foley Center in August.
Certainly, for Travis, Robbins and Myers, the Foley
Center has had a profound impact on their lives. All
three believe the experience will help them in their
professional lives. All three express a strong desire to
continue to work with children as they move forward
from Spring Hill. I see myself using my experience
here as a mentor, says Robbins. I would love to run
an organization like the Upward Bound program. I feel
like that would be a great use of what Ive learned at
Spring Hill.
And, all three say the experience has changed them
for the better. I am incredibly impressed with all three
of these young men, and I think they represent the type
of graduate that Spring Hill prides itself on, says Goldschmidt. One of them approached me about ways we
can do better about bringing school students to campus what we call our College Exposure Day. He said
were not engaging their parents, which is a significant
aspect. So we are now implementing a parent engagement component based on their insight into those kids.
These young men dont go to these schools just to tutor.
They go to get to know the students form a relationship with them, figure out what they need and then
they follow through. That is leadership.

Visit shc.edu/chastangmentors
to watch a video interview with
Kathleen Orange, PhD, Brandon,
Derrick and Phillip.

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