Park Scholar Ashley Lawson, a fourth-year studying mathematics and mathematics education, presented her new initiative “Meet My Future” in Park Shops Tuesday night. The presentation elaborated on her community-based organization seeking to improve educational and workforce opportunities for students in rural areas.
Lawson, who is from and has volunteered in rural areas, grew up in Stokes County, North Carolina. Lawson discussed how growing up in her hometown shaped who she has become, and how it has influenced her current project.
“It has shaped so much of who I am,” Lawson said. “It’s actually where I found my passion in life because I would not be doing anything with education if it weren’t for where I grew up.”
Diving into the current issues plaguing complete or partially rural education systems, which consist of two-thirds of North Carolina school districts, Lawson elaborated on some of these dying counties that are decreasing in population and losing jobs.
“The bigger issue with poverty in rural areas is that you can’t get to the resources to deal with it,” Lawson said. “People are leaving, and that leads to school closings. Once a school closes, that kind of kills the community. With a school closing it means kids are going to school farther away, which leads to higher transportation costs. A farther school means fewer parents are involved, and parent involvement is crucial for student success. Students literally can’t get access to things that make them successful.”
These students are who Lawson’s program is geared towards. Currently implemented in two elementary schools, the career development program operates on three different levels, including “Hope for My Future” for older elementary school students, “Building My Future” for middle schoolers, and “Exploring My Future” for high schoolers. The different programs offer a plethora of resources, including professional visits, career and counselor mentoring, field trips, internships, and constructive planning.
“The very unique thing about the program is that we are encouraging students to choose the right path for them once they are given all the information that they need,” Lawson said. “I don’t want them to leave because they think they have no opportunities where they grew up, or to stay because they think they can’t get out.”
Lawson finished the presentation by encouraging the audience to appreciate language and dialect diversity, and recognize that both cities and rural areas are great in their own distinct ways.
Sarah Ho, senior assistant director of the Park Scholarships program, elaborated on the program’s informal support offered to Lawson throughout her brainstorming and developing process.
“This is not something that was expected of her as Park Scholar,” Ho stated. “It’s just something that she took upon herself that she was really interested in. I bounced back and forth with her on different resources she could use, different things she could provide in terms of programming for the schools, and she just took it from there. I can’t take much credit; this is a lot of Ashley.”
Through the Park Scholarships office, Lawson was also able to apply for funding through an enrichment grant program, which provided her with resources for supplies and travel.
Ho also oversees Service Raleigh, an NC State student-run philanthropic project founded by a combination of Park Scholars and Student Government members in 1998. Service Raleigh partners with over sixty Wake County nonprofit organizations each year, and sends over two thousand volunteers out on a day of service. Ho discussed how service is a core value of the Park Scholarship program, which contributes to the scholars’ ambition to serve their communities.
“Our role is to recruit high-achieving students to NC State who we believe have the potential to make the world better through scholarship, leadership, service, and character,” Ho said. “That can look like a lot of things. In Ashley’s case and a few other students’, that means starting nonprofit organizations, that means starting companies, that means pairing their passion with their skills and what they’re learning here at the University to make an impact. That is absolutely within the realm of what we’re hoping students do, but it’s definitely not an expectation.”
Service Raleigh and Meet My Future are just two of the many nonprofit and philanthropic organizations that have emerged from the initiatives of Park Scholars. Other organizations include the Krispy Kreme Challenge, Triangle-Youth Leadership Services, the Red and White Soccer Classic and Musical Empowerment.
