my name ....Carson Duffy...childhood ambition ....to be Mia Hamm...
fondest memory ....in the mountains with my family....
soundtrack ....Shania Twain and Britney Spears (stop judging)....
retreat ....North Carolina Mountains....
wildest dream ....decent public education everywhere....
biggest Challenge ....finding balance....
alarm clock ....my phone....
perfect day ....up for breakfast, read, go for a run, hang out with friends and family....
first Job ....babysitting....
indulgence ....sour patch kids....
last Purchase ....gas....
favorite movie ....Live Free or Die hard....
inspiration ....my family....
My life ....is wonderfully busy....
My card ...is my Rhodes ID....
My Vision Statement:
My vision is to creatively transform public education so that it can be used as a means of infusing hope and success into students. By giving them the power to use their knowledge and abilities to expand and improve their own lives, students will have the tools to inspire their families and communities to search for their own passions and ACT. To lead students through their success on a search for inner peace and security. To make dreams and passions a reality for all public school students.
I was granted the opportunity to be a Kinney Co-coordinator of Mentoring and Education for my sophomore year. Through this position I was able to learn about Rhodes partnerships with our local public schools, including our partnership with Central High School. This partnership was weak and basically consisted of a few inconsistent volunteers. This gave me the perfect opportunity to possibly implement a program that a friend and I had began developing in High School. Throughout our senior year, after going through the college application process, we began reflecting on the difficulty of finding what you are looking for in a college, applications, financial aid, and all other aspects of this process. We began brainstorming ways to help some of our peers, who did not have constant support from home or guidance councilors tackle some of these obstacles. This project never came to fruition at my High School and was on the forefront of my mind when coming to Rhodes.
With the help of Suzanne Bonefas- the Community Relations Director and Terese Busher- the Director of Admissions , I was able to develop a program that allows Rhodes students to mentor junior students at Central HS. There are workshops once a month that focus on Financial Aid, Resume Writing, College admission essays, etc. For example in April we will be taking a College Visit to Rhodes College and the University of Memphis. We will also be hosting a Job Fair for the high school students that will allow them to interview for summer jobs. In addition, groups of 3-6 students meet with a mentor once a week after school to accomplish work introduced in the workshop. Although we are in the beginning stages of this program and there is a lot of change ahead, I am confident that this program will be able to succeed.
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