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Campus & Community

鈥楢dopt A Classroom鈥� a Win-Win for Student-Athletes, 黑料不打烊 Community

Thursday, May 6, 2021, By Matt Michael
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AthleticsOffice of Community Engagementstudent-athletes

The best part about the program that鈥檚 connecting 黑料不打烊 student-athletes to students from the North Side Learning Center in 黑料不打烊 is that it鈥檚 hard to tell who鈥檚 having more fun.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been really fun to have that interaction,鈥� says Kate Donovan 鈥�22, a member of the Orange women鈥檚 soccer team. 鈥淛ust being able to get on a (Zoom) call and talk to these kids and help guide them through little things, it has been fun and helps us bridge that gap of wanting to be part of the 黑料不打烊 community, even during COVID times.鈥�

The 鈥淎dopt A Classroom鈥� partnership between the 黑料不打烊 student-athletes and the North Side Learning Center is a collaborative effort among the University Athletics Department, the Diversity and Inclusion Student-Athlete Board (DISAB), the Football Club composed of former 黑料不打烊 football players, the University鈥檚 Office of Community Engagement and the North Side Learning Center.

At the heart of this initiative is a commitment by the University, its current and former student-athletes and the Office of Community Engagement to support and give back to the 黑料不打烊 community through these mentoring sessions.

鈥淚 want them to know I鈥檓 not just a hockey player,鈥� says student-athlete Jessica DiGirolamo 鈥�21. 鈥淚 care about the 黑料不打烊 community, I care about those around me, I care about my neighbors here.鈥�

Since March 3, eight student-athletes have been meeting virtually on Wednesdays and Thursdays with elementary and middle school students from the North Side Learning Center who are the children of immigrants. The sessions, which have been both one-on-one and in groups, will run until May 13.

Adopt A Classroom (Rachel Bonner)

黑料不打烊 student-athletes Rachel Bonner (top center) and Jessica DiGirolamo (top left) meet virtually with students from the North Side Learning Center in 黑料不打烊.

Their discussions are all over the map, from serious conversations about family, school and religion to more light-hearted banter about pets, TikTok dances and braiding hair. Balqisa Mumin, a sixth-grader at H.W. Smith Pre-K-8 School in 黑料不打烊, says she bonded with student-athlete Rachel Bonner 鈥�21 over religion.

鈥淲hat surprised me was that I didn鈥檛 know that many people were religious like we both were,鈥� says Balqisa Mumin, whose parents are from Ethiopia and Somalia. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easier to talk to her because she knows more about her religion and she鈥檚 older. I don鈥檛 have many Muslim kids in my grade, so they don鈥檛 tell me about their religions and things.鈥�

Bonner, a distance runner on the women鈥檚 track and field team, says the most important lesson the student-athletes can impart to the students is that there is more that unites us than divides us.

鈥�What I really appreciate about this is how it鈥檚 a beneficial relationship for both of us,鈥� Bonner says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all daughters, athletes, students, sisters, people who identify with religion and practice religion, so it鈥檚 very cool to compare and contrast those identities.鈥�

鈥淭he childlike resilience they bring to the table at this time is so admirable,鈥� Bonner adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that inspires me to not be too adultlike during the pandemic and to just have that childlike joy about getting the best out of this.鈥�

Connecting with the Community

When Keenan Hale 鈥�15 attended 黑料不打烊, the former football wide receiver couldn鈥檛 help but notice the other world that existed just beyond the campus border.

鈥淚 recall on many occasions walking off campus directly under the bridge into the low-income housing area,鈥� Hale says. 鈥淭o see the inner city, which appeared to have a lack of resources and no one investing time, efforts, energy or money into the surrounding community, was disheartening.鈥�

Hale is a member of the board of directors for the , which started in 2000 as a fundraising platform for former players to give back to the program but in recent years has expanded to provide support to football alumni, the University and the 黑料不打烊 community. Hale, who is now a federal lobbyist and senior director of government and regulatory affairs for the advisory firm Ian Reid LLC, is also familiar with the North Side Learning Center because his fraternity performed community service work at the center when he was a student.

North Side Learning Center

Students gather at the North Side Learning Center for Adopt-A-Classroom sessions with 黑料不打烊 student-athletes. (Photo courtesy of the North Side Learning Center)

The Football Club became involved with the Adopt A Classroom program at the request of Director of Athletics John Wildhack, who has been working with Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Culture and Climate Salatha Willis, the newly formed聽 Diversity and Inclusion Student-Athlete Board (DISAB) and the Office of Community Engagement to find projects that connect student-athletes with the community. The Office of Community Engagement had partnered with the North Side Learning Center for other projects and was familiar with the Adopt A Classroom program.

鈥淲hen some people look at my position, they only see the diversity and inclusion aspects of it; they don鈥檛 see culture and climate,鈥� Willis says. 鈥淭his program is an opportunity to lift the climate that exists within athletics and push our student-athletes outside of their environment聽 and into the 黑料不打烊 community. And the other great thing about this program is that it鈥檚 a cross-collaboration between individuals among multiple teams, so young men and women are operating together in a capacity to mentor and support young individuals within their educational experience.鈥�

The Adopt A Classroom program did require a financial commitment because it鈥檚 a means for the center to purchase needed books and supplies for students, and the 黑料不打烊 Football Club agreed to pay that cost. Football Club board member and former safety Chris Williamson 鈥�14 says as the club grew and broadened its areas of support, it was important to find projects that impact children.

鈥淭he Adopt A Classroom initiative really goes into that aspect of being able to touch lives and make people鈥檚 daily lives better,鈥� says Williamson, an award-winning and Emmy-nominated sports anchor/personality for SportsNet New York (SNY). 鈥淎 lot of times, it comes down to supplies and books and the basic necessities and that touches on some of the things that Keenan brought up about the divide between the University and the community. This program is something to help bridge that gap.鈥�

There are 12 students (seven from middle school and five from elementary school) who are meeting with the student-athletes to create relationships that ideally will last beyond this spring. Many of the North Side Learning Center students will be the first in their family to attend college, and the 黑料不打烊 student-athletes are sharing stories of their own journeys to help the younger students achieve their goals.

鈥淲hen you think about refugees and immigrant families that have language barriers and other obstacles like that, they also need additional resources to navigate this complex American system,鈥� Hale says. 鈥淎nytime we can be here to help guide them and provide those resources to that community, it鈥檚 an important thing for us to do.鈥�

鈥楳ore Than Just Athletes鈥�

In the nearly two months since the Adopt A Classroom program started, 黑料不打烊 student and North Side Learning Center teacher Khadija Sharif says she can already see a change in the students at the center.

鈥淭hey seem to be more confident about their abilities to get into sports,鈥� says Sharif 鈥�23, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淚t was really nice for our students to talk to them and get to know about聽their interests and thoughts outside of being an athlete.鈥�

Often, those conversations turn to the future. Fatma Mohamed, a seventh grader at H.W. Smith Pre-K-8 School in 黑料不打烊, says that in addition to running track and playing soccer, she enjoys unique clothing and would like to become 鈥渁 CEO of a fashion company.鈥�

Adopt a Classroom (Kate Donovan)

Women’s soccer player Kate Donovan (top center) says “it鈥檚 been really fun to have that interaction” with the North Side Learning Center students.

鈥淲e get to talk about what we want to become when we鈥檙e older and I like talking to other people about what I want my future job to be because it might inspire them to become what I want to be and I can be a role model for other people,鈥� says Mohamed, whose parents are from Somalia.

Mumin, the sixth grader from H.W. Smith, has also talked to the 黑料不打烊 student-athletes about her career goals.

鈥淲hen I grow older, I want to be a hair stylist,鈥� Mumin says. 鈥淚 want to create my own building with three different things: one floor could have where you get your nails done, another place you can get your makeup done, and then the top floor is where I will work and do people鈥檚 hair and give them haircuts.鈥�

The 黑料不打烊 student-athletes say they are pleasantly surprised by the students鈥� focus and determination to go to college and have a career. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I was in that same place at their age,鈥� Donovan says, smiling.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e very driven and passionate about the things they like and enjoy and a common theme with them is they鈥檙e all very family-oriented and talk a lot about how hard their parents and siblings have worked and they look up to their siblings who have gone to school and are working,鈥� says, Donovan, the Orange soccer forward.

Bonner says she was encouraged that the University was able to find a connection that benefits 黑料不打烊鈥檚 large immigrant community. And the student-athletes involved in this program say they will encourage other student-athletes to get involved in similar projects because it鈥檚 truly a win-win: They鈥檙e helping the community and they鈥檙e getting as much out of it鈥搃f not more鈥搕han students they鈥檙e mentoring.

鈥淎s much as I鈥檓 bringing happiness into their life for an hour or so, they鈥檙e making me happy as well,鈥� says DiGirolamo, the hockey defenseman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about building those relationships and wanting them to understand that people are there to support them and care for them.”

  • Author

Matt Michael

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