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08-09 NUPIP Featured Fellows:

Molly Day, CampusCATALYST

Molly's Story:

"Serving as a Fellow at campusCATALYST this past year, while unconventional in many ways, has allowed me to be part of a tremendous community of passionate and thoughtful individuals who have provided ongoing support to cC.  As the sole full-time employee of this 2 year-old start-up, I manage a program that engages over 200 Northwestern and University of Chicago students each year in influential, pro-bono consulting projects with nearly 50 Chicago nonprofits. This year, we expanded our programs to two campuses, and secured the option for students to earn academic credit for their non-profit consulting experiences. We’ve continued to build our brand in the Chicago community and expand our expertise in providing high-quality programming to undergrads and nonprofits. Yet while the responsibilities sometimes loom large, I never feel like I am alone in the work I do – when I speak of campusCATALYST, I always find myself using “we” because this experience has truly been a collaborative effort of many tireless individuals, including countless members of the PIP/P55 community.

Thinking back to my application last year, I recall writing about the community I hoped to find within PIP.  While I had an inkling of what lay ahead, my experiences this year have dwarfed my initial ideas of what this community could be. I hope that the PIP family is one that continues far beyond this year of service."

Brooke Thurman,
Lawndale Christian Health Center

Brooke's Story:

"My original post-graduation plan was immerse myself in a new culture, learn more about healthcare and have an adventure while doing it. I can safely say that this year has met all of these expectations, though I only had to move a few miles from Evanston.

As a PIP fellow, I work at the Lawndale Christian Health Center on the west side of Chicago.  While the clinic is only a forty minute drive from Northwestern, working there has been a new cultural experience for me. I have gained a deeper understanding ethnic, economic and cultural diversity while learning practical skills in the field of community health.

One of my biggest projects at LCHC has been working with the medical director to start a Coumadin Clinic. This “clinic within a clinic” is specifically designed to deliver better care to patients on blood-thinning medication. I serve on the EMR (Electronic Medical Records) Team, helping the health center switch from paper to computer charts. Now that all three clinic sites are using EMR, we have turned our focus to refining the system.  I am also gaining valuable clinical knowledge working for doctors as a medical assistant, directly interacting with patients.
My year at the Lawndale Christian Health Center has equipped me with invaluable skills that no classroom experience could ever provide. The most important part of my fellowship, however, is the context in which I’ve learned these skills. I work with amazing doctors and administrators who have devoted their lives to serving the underserved.  I have seen members of the Lawndale neighborhood come together to create a healthier community. The intangible ideas of social justice and cultural diversity that I heard so much about in college have become a meaningful reality, thanks to my PIP experience."

Chris Warren, Cabrini Connections

Visit Chris's blog to learn more about his experiences at
http://chrispip.blogspot.com/

Patrick Mitchell with Mentor and Current PIP Fellow Chris Warren

Chris's Story:

"Cabrini Connections is a youth tutor/mentor program that serves youth of the Cabrini Green neighborhood as well as displaced residents who are currently living in other projects and high poverty areas around the city.  We pair each student up one-on-one with a dedicated tutor/mentor who meets with them reguarly, both through our weekly on-site tutoring sessions as well as on their own.  Students benefit from having a mentor in their life who serves as a friend, role model and parent as well as from access to their mentor's professional and social networks, which help students along the path to higher education and entering a career by the age of 25.  Besides helping to coordinate this tutor/mentor program, known as Cabrini Connections, I also work under the auspices of "The Tutor/Mentor Connection", which serves as an information hub for tutor/mentor organizations across Chicagoland and other world cities where tutor/mentor programs are working with at-risk youth in economically and educationally disadvantaged communities.  We aim not only to research best practices but also to build resources and awareness around youth tutoring/mentoring to recruit more volunteers, expand tutor/mentor programs in high-poverty areas, build corporate partnerships and foster collaboration among the hundreds of preexisting tutor/mentor organizations successfully operating around Chicago and the world. 

My blog is an extension of my work both with Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection. In it I discuss issues relating to both our programming at Cabrini Connections and the kids we serve but also our strategies for expanding tutoring/mentoring programs such as Cabrini Connections through the Tutor/Mentor Connection. Since I have a research background in psychology and education, I discuss some issues in eduational research and relevant work in the field as well. Hopefully through my blog, more people might come to know the unique struggles we face in our quest to level the playing field for youth growing up in poverty and the ways we are trying to accomplish this both through our single tutor/mentor program and through the broader scope of the Tutor/Mentor Connection."