Starting in August 2022, I didn’t know what to expect when I entered college. I didn’t know how it would change me or if it would change me for the better or worse. I do know that when I first arrived at SIUE, I was anxious about being away from home and not being with my friends and family anymore, but being in the C O D E S program helped me make friends more quickly and connect with people more, first starting with each other and then expanding our community to others. The first semester was challenging, but we persevered and eventually established a mentorship program for our research team with NCNW, formed our first partnership with an organization that will become more effective in the upcoming years, and met the chancellor at SIUE to present our research and our home away from home video for a showcase that I created with the assistance of my team and me as C O D E S Scholars.

I joined a fraternity in January 2023, and it was very supportive. Prior to joining, I had attended numerous rush events and had socialized with many fraternity members. However, in 2022, I had no idea what a fraternity was, so I decided not to look into it. However, after learning more about Greek life, I became more aware of all the benefits of joining and how they could improve the community over time. I restarted my youtube channel with interviews conducted around campus. I’m working to build my brand, establish myself as a content creator, and make a difference in our community. Everyone has the power to affect change, but I believe that only those willing to put in the time and effort will succeed.

As time passed, I observed that there were many occasions when some of us could meet and others could not, which did not help with what our goal and mission were about because we are a one-and-all team, and nobody gets left behind or shut out. We want to hear from everyone because we all have something to contribute to our team. We had to postpone various dates and ideas we had hoped to implement in the spring to the next spring as the second semester progressed due to time schedules not working for the team. We believed it would be ideal if we had a strategy to truly demonstrate, not just for us but also for the program and community, that when we choose to do anything, we want it done correctly and effectively rather than being something rushed and not thought through to the fullest of our expectations.

We have conducted additional research as a result of the delay, and we have made numerous personal and professional advancements. We received a $1,000 grant, and since then, we’ve been budgeting for our mentorship and gathering the necessary funds to start it up. We also met with the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Alton, and there will be many more meetings before we can set up our program for the kids in a way that will be the best mentoring in the neighborhood while we are still college freshmen.