Preparing for Bright "Futures"

Every weekday, Asia Norton gets up at 7:30 a.m. to take a bus, the subway, and a train from her home in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood to her desk job at Haverford College. What makes it worth the effort for her?

“I love meeting new people,” she enthuses,“and we're being taught so many things I didn't know before. I'm also learning more about other people's ethnic backgrounds, how they live.”

For Norton and other students like her, this is more than a summer job. It's part of a much larger effort by Philadelphia Futures, a non-profit organization that prepares students from Philadelphia's public neighborhood high schools for college through long-term mentoring, academic enrichment, college guidance and financial incentives.

“This program is changing the way I think, what I think, how I think,” says Norton, who hopes to be a lawyer (“because I love to argue and get the big point across”).“It's changed the whole process of my mind.”

The core of the program pairs students like Norton with adult mentors and a sponsor who helps with costs such as books and transportation to and from college. Norton and the other scholars are encouraged to take the most challenging courses available at their schools and are required to participate in after-school enrichment activities and summer academic programs.

Philadelphia Futures' summer programs are funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Philadelphia Youth Network with funds granted by the federal Work Force Investment Act. This funding allows Philadelphia Futures to partner with local colleges to provide intense instruction in reading, writing and research during the summer.

“It's a taste of what college will be like—learning critical thinking, developing ideas and making them your own,” says Dean for First-Year Students Raisa Williams, who spearheaded the summer program (and was also a Philadelphia Futures staff member before coming to Haverford in 2001).“We all get something out of it.” Students also meet Career Development staff to discuss possible careers and majors, and talk with interns about what it's like to be a student of color at a primarily white school.

On the last day of classes, the students give presentations on what they've learned throughout the month. Students are“paid” three dollars an hour for the time they spend in class and learn workplace responsibilities like filling out time cards. The summer curriculum and teaching support is provided in collaboration with Alison Cook-Sather, associate professor of education.

“I admire the students,” says Heather Curl '03, a teacher in the summer program.“They are intelligent, dedicated and funny. I admire the way they engage with the material in interesting ways and often teach me more than I teach them.”

This summer's group has been reading James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time and exploring human rights and the struggles of such war-torn countries as Sierra Leone, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Bolivia. There have also been in-depth discussions on race construction in America, civil rights as a national and international issue, the economy, terrorism, media and technology, all leading up to the final project focused on the question: What will be the biggest problem of the 21st century?

Norton, for her part, believes this problem will be the media:“They portray everything so negatively,” she says.“They mess with you psychologically; if you see and hear something enough, you believe it.”

Williams says the summer program students love the extra education:“They think it's helpful, and they're surprised at how much they haven't learned before.” Her dedication inspired Philadelphia Futures to give Haverford its“Hats Off to You” award in June, honoring the College's contributions to the organization and to the national discourse on diversity.

“Philadelphia Futures is deeply grateful for Haverford's commitment to racial diversity and how it impacts the broader world of higher education and our world at Philadelphia Futures,” says Executive Director Joan Mazzotti. â€œHaverford is a great partner to our organization and our students.”

Haverford was recognized not only for its summer program, but also for having 10 former Sponsor-A-Scholar students graduate from the College. Recent graduate Sarah Joseph '08 is herself an alumna of Philadelphia Futures and says she appreciated the support she received from people like Raisa Williams and from groups like the Black Students' Organization and Women of Color, all of which helped her get acclimated to the Haverford environment. Presently, Joseph is serving an internship (sponsored by the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship) with the Philadelphia Futures summer program at Haverford, assisting with teaching and devising lesson plans.

“I enjoy working with Futures students in whose shoes I once walked,” says Joseph, who plans to attend graduate school for education at the University of Pennsylvania.“I want to be a role model for them.”

Ruben Alexis '10 is set to be the 11th Philadelphia Futures alumnus to graduate from Haverford. He first heard about the College from Rashida Miller '02, who was working for Philadelphia Futures when Alexis was part of the Sponsor-A-Scholar program. He visited the campus with his mentor, and says that“it felt like a place to be at ease, to pursue what you want to pursue and be comfortable.” Philadelphia Futures stays connected with its Sponsor-A-Scholar students all the way through college, which distinguishes it from other college access programs.

A current religion major who would like to attend medical school, Alexis is grateful for the help of Raisa Williams and of faculty advisors like Professor of Biology Jenni Punt and Assistant Professor of Religion Terrence Johnson.“Everyone is here to help you grow, and become the most that you can be,” he says.

The impact of Philadelphia Futures hasn't escaped the notice of Haverford's alumni base. For the past nine years, Arn Tellem '76 has teamed up with Dave Montgomery of the Philadelphia Phillies to host a fundraising event for the organization, inviting athletes and local celebrities to participate in pool and bowling tournaments.“As a Philadelphia native, it has always been important to me to give back to the community that I value so much,” says Tellem.“The Futures program has been making a remarkable difference in the lives of so many urban youths.  And for me, there is nothing more rewarding than helping to give a child a chance for a better life through education.”

Raisa Williams also believes that the College benefits from its relationship with Philadelphia Futures.“It's an asset to our institution,” she says.“Working in this program as teachers and interns enhances the experience of our college students and provides them an opportunity to work with students representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The interdisciplinary nature of the project ensures that the high school students touch our campus in many positive ways and provides our suburban community with a taste of the complex realities of education in Philadelphia.”

-Brenna McBride