Share: mail

Twenty-one students celebrated their completion of Stepping Up, a life skills program aimed at promoting academic success, April 10 at PCC’s adjunct campus, the Community Education Center.Family, friends and Stepping Up staff toasted the achievements of the students, the first group to graduate from the program this semester. In return, they were treated to students’ poetry, performance art and thoughts on the program.

The eight-week motivation program is targeted towards non-graduating high school seniors in the PCC district. The students meet twice a week for instruction on personal development, life skills, academic success, career planning, and job preparation.

“I walked into the Stepping Up office thinking it was going to be another boring class: three hours listening to some old person talking about something I didn’t care about,” David Osterman, a graduate of the program, admitted to the crowd. “But the teacher was really young and we talked about stuff we as young adults would be dealing with, stuff that directly affected us,” he said.

With a proud smile, James Gray Jr. – the young instructor Osterman was referring to – handed out completion certificates.

“The goal of the program is not so much to change the students, but to plant that [idea] in their head; they’re no longer thinking ‘What if?’ but instead ‘What are the steps to get there?'” said Gray.

The celebration marked the ninth group of students to have participated in the program since its inception in 2005.

In the second year of his tenure, Rick Hodge, dean of CEC, brought together local youth organizations to brainstorm on the needs of the community. The coalition recognized a need for a way to reach out to students who, because of a variety of barriers had fallen through the cracks of a traditional high school education. The group formed the Youth Leadership Action Network and out of its brainstorming came Stepping Up.

“For students who’ve reached [the age of] 18, there’s nothing their high schools can do for them anymore. Our hope is to be a safety net to these students and provide them with a new focus,” Hodge said.

In addition to their participation in Stepping Up, most students are encouraged to also enroll in California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) preparation, GED preparation or high school diploma programs, all of which are available at CEC.

Jesse Diaz, one of 150 students who will graduate from the high school diploma program in June, considered the effect Stepping Up had on his educational success.

“James [Gray Jr.] motivated us to get to work and the program taught us practical things like how to create a resume. Now I’m planning on going to PCC to take computer programs [courses],” he said.

Stepping Up is also designed for parents. Once a week in a class, parents learn how to increase their children’s motivation, better their family relationships and improve academic performance.

“At the Parent Academy, the parents learn everything their [children] have learned that week, so it really reinforces principles and allows them to compare notes,” said Hodge, adding, “A surprising side benefit to the program is that now many parents are enrolling in CEC programs.”

Parent Eva Kokas, at the celebration to support her son, Robert, called the meetings “very informative because it gave an insight into how to talk and relate to your child. You see that it’s not a lack of intelligence with the students, but a lack of motivation. For them, the three hours a week they spend at Stepping Up make a world of difference.”

Ke-Juan Johnson said the campus tours to PCC and Cal State L.A. opened his eyes to the possibility of a higher education – a newfound outlook many other Stepping Up graduates said they now shared.

Johnson, who sang during the performance segment of the program, said he felt he had a new lease on life after the eight weeks.”For someone who never finishes what he starts, Stepping Up has truly been a blessing for me. The atmosphere is just filled with growth. Before coming here, I thought like a victim, but now I’m thinking like a victor. I feel brand new,” he said.

Follow: rssyoutubeinstagrammail

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.