We are incredibly thankful when people volunteer their time and energy to further our mission, especially when they turn out to be utter rockstars! We have had the honor of working with Breyanna Guadarrama, a C4K grad and UVA ‘19 Speech-Language Pathology student, for the past year as our Mentor Program Intern.
We took a moment to reflect on the year with Breyanna:
C4K: Why did you choose to intern at C4K?
Breyanna: I first heard about C4K when I was in middle school! It sounded fun, and so I became a youth member and went through the one-year 1:1 mentorship program. When I was looking for internship programs for my third year at UVA, I re-discovered C4K through the Internship Placement Program (IPP). I am glad to be involved again after all these years.
C: What have you been working on this year?
B: The main project I have been working on is C4K’s Clubhouse to College/Careers (C2C) program. I have helped to design the program to ensure youth members are thinking about and setting college and career goals. C2C is oriented towards supporting high schoolers as they plan and prepare for future applications. I have helped plan workshops that address and college exploration, financial aid, and college applications.
C: What have you loved most about the past year?
B: One of my biggest highlights was learning how C4K has grown since I was a member. You guys have so many resources on offer to youth members (and they are all free). I also learned lots more about how many different STEM careers there are. I have enjoyed getting to know the staff and members. A recent highlight was our field trip to Morven Farms, where we learned so much about food production – it was great to see the youth explore all the farm had to offer. They loved the space, and that we had exclusive access to it that afternoon.
C: What are you focusing on next?
B: This Fall, I will begin graduate school at Radford University to pursue my Masters in Speech Pathology. I am very excited (and nervous) to start this next chapter of my life. Once finished at Radford, I hope to start working as a Speech-Language Pathologist.
We wish Breyanna all the very best on her UVA graduation next week and her Masters at Radford University this Fall.
We miss you already!