Palmer Trinity School

11 F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 BI R D'S EY E V I EW A WELL-KNOWN AFRICAN PROVERB SAYS THAT IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD. Breakthrough Miami has built that village. A common misnomer is that Breakthrough Miami is just an academic enrichment program aimed at getting our scholars into the best high schools and colleges. While this is certainly true, our impact has a span that reaches far beyond. Breakthrough is a human capital incubator; we invest in people, and we involve entire communities to do so. One of our biggest goals is to significantly empower our scholars so that they may rise to become powerful leaders and agents of change. Breakthrough harnesses the power of the collective; we leverage our many community partners to create this evolution among our scholars, and so a cyclical system of participation has developed. e idea is to open a pipeline of opportunity where our scholars give back as much as they gain by allowing them to remain actively involved in our program, well beyond their responsibility as a scholar and even long after they have graduated from our College Bound program at the University of Miami and are in college themselves. Not only can they volunteer in many different areas like teaching and tutoring, but they can also get paid to become a Teaching Fellow. Kawali Gokool did just that. She started as a scholar at Palmer Trinity, graduated from College Bound became a volunteer, and this past summer joined as a Teaching Fellow. How powerful is that? Almost seven years later, she'll be again joining us as a volunteer this school year. Palmer Trinity senior, Marcus Alvarez-Arango, was also a Teaching Fellow this past summer and he is eager to serve as a volunteer teacher as well. With so many community service opportunities, leadership and character- building skills, and work experience, those involved in our program are bound to succeed. One student, Johanna Lopez, joined Breakthrough as a senior in college when she heard about the program around campus from someone who had previously interned. When asked why she applied she stated: "I decided to apply because I had heard great things about the program and I fully supported Breakthrough's mission. As a Fellow, I fell in love with the program and developed connections with the scholars. I also identified with the students in the program. I am a first- generation college student from a single-parent home where my family does not speak English. I remember growing up having to navigate the school system on my own and the difficulty I had transitioning to college. I wish there would have been a program like this that could have helped me and my family." She has remained involved because she was inspired by how driven and talented the scholars are. She said she has learned so much from them and since then, has become an advocate for education. "As a Teaching Fellow, not only did I learn a lot about the ins and outs of teaching, but also how to multi-task, plan for events, and be a leader!" Ms. Lopez is now Palmer Trinity's very own Breakthrough Miami Associate Site Director. Ms. Lopez realized the impact she can make on students' lives and now strives to work hard to provide the best opportunities for our scholars and their families. Lopez stated, "Something really special to me is seeing our scholars grow up and continue through the program." And so the cycle continues. Willy Wonka, a character in the beloved children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, once sung, "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Want to change the world? ere's nothing to it." With a dab of imagination and a dash of collaboration, great feats are indeed possible. Breakthrough Miami helps students find the imagination to change the world. BY JON A H S T E V E NS, SENIOR SIT E DIRECTOR FOR BRE A K T HROUGH MI A MI THE UNIQUE AND POSITIVE TR ANSFORMATIVE NATURE OF BRE AK THROUGH

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