During the school year, I had a fantastic experience. The opportunity to help first-generation students was truly amazing. Providing them with advice on mentoring and tutoring to prepare them for the future felt incredibly rewarding, almost like giving advice to my younger self
What I wish was different
I wish the Executive Director had better communication skills and a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by first-generation, low-income individuals. Despite working with this demographic, they lacked the necessary empathy and perspective. Additionally, I was kept on contract without being informed of any updates or changes, which ultimately left me unemployed. One would think that, by working with first-generation students and low-income individuals like myself, they would have a better understanding, but they did not. What they should have done is actually communicate and help me find another opportunity, rather than promising to get back to me and never following through.
Advice
It’s best to work during the school year and, for the summer, be sure to search for other opportunities just in case something unexpected happens. For me, I was supposed to work over the summer, but everything fell apart. So, I strongly recommend continuing to apply for jobs, even if the job market is tough.
