March 15, 2019
On Wednesday, March 13, Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood hosted a brunch to celebrate the 21 seniors at East Tech High School who live in the Promise footprint.
Last year, Promise initiated a Promise scholarship to help support high school seniors as they transition to college. Seniors at the brunch last week learned about this opportunity for supportive funds, and will be eligible to apply over the summer. Promise Neighborhood initiative manager Richaun Bunton worked with East Tech to organize the brunch to encourage deeper interaction between the Promise team and the children of the Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood.
At the brunch, staff explained how Promise works in the community, and encouraged students to consider the leaders within themselves. Students and staff completed an exercise to better understand personality types and provide insight into personal leadership style.
“The exercise outlined four personality types: Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever or Beaver,” said Bunton. “Many of the students were lions – goal-oriented, natural leaders who favor direct communication. We saw only a small amount of beavers, who are rule-focused and maintain high standards of order and respect – traits that can tip easily into perfectionism.”
Students then considered how their awareness of their personality traits could help their college experience: for example, would an otter, notoriously messy, be a good roommate for a beaver, who prefers neatness and order?
“We wanted our session to be fun, while still offering support and introspection as these students consider their future,” Bunton said. “We want these 21 students to know they have the encouragement of an entire group of people they hadn’t met before the brunch: our staff and partners.”
Following a buffet brunch of yogurt parfaits, breakfast burritos and more, the students reflected on the time together, saying they felt less anxious about the changes they will soon experience. The scholars will be mentored by Promise staff as they prepare for their journey post-graduation. They will also be honored at Promise’s summer College Roundtable in June.
If you would like to get more involved with ensuring the success of our Promise Neighborhood graduating scholars, please contact Richaun Bunton at rbunton@socfcleveland.org.