Introduction & Progress Report #1
Hello!
My name is Priscilla Campos and I am a current Sophomore here at USF. I’m a Finance major with an Econ minor, and this is also my second semester working with PSIP. I am originally from the Los Angeles area, and my goal is to graduate from USF and become an investment banker.
I have done my internship at Mission Graduates for the past two semesters. They are a non-profit organization who help educate parents and their children who attend school in the Mission district about the college process. Their main goal is to make sure children are on the right path to college. They provide after-school programs and other beneficial services for elementary-high school students to help them ensure their academic success.
Last Spring semester, I was primarily there to help with March to College. This event is Mission Graduates’ main focus towards the end of the school year, as it is an event where elementary and middle schools located in the Mission district come together and declare their commitment to go to college and strive for a better future. I really enjoyed helping with this grand event that really brings both parents and students together and encourages them to strive for academic success.
This semester I am helping Mission Graduates in a different way. I have varying responsibilities at the office, but my main focus is to mentor moms on how to navigate the computer they have at home, so they can aid their child with their homework and provide them with educational websites for them to use.
One of my major responsibilities at the office is to be a mentor to a Madre Lidre. Most of the families who come into Mission Graduates seeking help are Spanish-speaking families, so when I mentor moms, I primarily speak to them in Spanish. I help Latina moms who want to educate themselves in all technological elements, so as to help not only their child excel in school, but also to allow themselves advance in the technology sphere. Being in the 21st century, it is essential that everyone learn how to navigate their computers, tablets, etc. Some of the main topics I cover with my mentees’ are: learning how to create a Facebook event, creating a gmail account, and lastly learning to navigate helpful educational websites. Along with being a mentor to Madre Lidres, I also help around the office with data entry and organizing supplies. I aid the office in any way possible.
Working with Mission Graduates has allowed me to advance my professional and business skills, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with them again this semester. As the semester continues, I hope to further my business and communication skills, and hope I can be of further help to Mission Graduates.
Above is my current work space at the Mission Graduates office.
Progress Report #2
It has been a couple weeks into my internship with Mission Graduates, and I have thoroughly been enjoying my time at the office.
I am continuing to mentor two Latina moms, Cari and Mati, and we have made substantial progress. I have been able to teach them about google applications, as well as help them set up different social media accounts (such as Facebook and LinkedIn). I have also helped the moms set up an Amazon account, as well as teach them how to navigate their banking accounts via their online banking system. Although I have only met with the moms for a couple of sessions, I believe we have made a lot of progress, and I can definitely tell that the moms feel more comfortable navigating their computers and smart phones.
I have also been a presenter for a Parent Workshop focused on educating parents on the various ways they can ensure their child’s academic success. It was a great opportunity for me to speak to parents about what my college assimilation was like, and what kinds of resources are offered to both parents and students at the university. I was able to answer all of the parents questions, and I believe I was able to reassure them about their child going away for college. It was also a great opportunity for me to learn more about the parents involved with Mission Graduates, and I really enjoyed conversing with the parents about the worries they have. I was able to talk about my personal college experience, and what helped me assimilate into college life.
My experience with Mission Graduates has always been a pleasant one, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my work with them. I will continue to be a mentor for the Latina Tech Mentorship Program, as well as aid the office with anything else that they need.
Above are photos of the Parent Workshop I presented at. Photos were taken during an activity we did in groups talking about the college assimilation process.
Conclusion
As the semester quickly approaches its end, I have finished my internship with Mission Graduates for the fall semester. It has been a great experience working with the organization for a second time, and I am glad I have been able to been able to expand and learn new things through my work with the office.
It has definitely been a wonderful experience for me, and my work with the Latina Tech Mentorship program as a mentor has allowed me to provide assistance to Latina mothers in advancing their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. Being a mentor for these hard-working moms has changed my life for the better, and it leaves me with a great feeling knowing I have helped change these women’s lives as well. I have personally seen my mentee’s growth over the past few months. At the start of our program Matilde Tellez was not completely confident navigating her computer, and often had trouble with social media and managing her other online accounts. Over the past few weeks, I have seen Matilde grow in all aspects, and she is now more comfortable using her smartphone and laptop. She has created an online banking account to help manage her expenses/accounts, and has also been able to make her own Amazon account, where she can buy anything she may need. I am grateful for the opportunity to help Matilde gain the confidence she needs in order to advance her ICT skills, and it has been wonderful seeing these women excel.
Being a mentor for the Latina Tech Mentorship program has been my main responsibility for the Fall semester, but I have also been of other help to the office. I am in charge of entry data work, and organizing different areas of the office to make it more cohesive and orderly. Being a PSIP intern has really allowed me to grow as an individual. I have become a much more confident and well-rounded student, as working with Mission Graduates has provided me with opportunities to enhance my business and communication skills.
Learning about the PSIP program at USF my freshman year has provided me with new and exciting opportunities, and I am glad I have been able to work with the same organization these past few semesters. Mission Graduates is a great organization that helps young individuals prepare themselves for academic success, and it has been an honor to be apart of such an awesome program.
Above is a photograph of my mentee (Matilde Tellez) and I. Here I am helping her download an app onto her smartphone.