by Bess Alshvang
For the first time ever, Row New York held a forum-style workshop devoted to preparing our incoming college freshmen for their next four years. With RNY staff, alumna, and volunteers leading several workshops, the day was jam-packed with all things college–financial, academic, and even personal!
After some breakfast treats, our seniors started off the day with icebreakers including their names, soon-to-be colleges, and oddly enough, shoe size. Everyone giggled each time they shared their shoe sizes, but the room soon filled with cheers when workshop facilitators announced that RNY volunteer Colleen Bailey worked with Converse (!) to provide each graduating senior with personalized Row New York ’15 sneakers! It was a great surprise and now, students will be heading to school with a little bit of home and a lot of style!
Soon enough, students delved into the nitty-gritty with a credit card workshop; detailing everything from which banks to choose, to the meaning of “cash advance,” to the values of credit cards versus debit cards. Darise, our Director of Academics and College Readiness, led the group through an enlightening scenario about credit card applications and contracts, reminding students about the importance of building credit during college while being sure to keep track of what they buy and can pay off.
After amassing all of that information, students took a quick break before heading into their next workshop, which was all about college classes. Darise explained, “Imagine your syllabus as currency; it has everything you need to succeed.” From there, staff and our RNY alum, Anita, shared experiences about the necessity of establishing relationships with professors. Students capped off the activity by writing sample letters to professors about deadline extensions.
Regina, our Academic Program Manager, led us through a “Who’s Going to Your College?” activity where students shared their school’s demographics and culture with one another. Most students had seen these statistics only when applying to college but now, with orientation and move-in approaching, these facts took on completely new meanings! Many students were pleasantly surprised by the diversity on their campuses both culturally and financially– something they are quite accustomed to and fond of here at Row New York.
The day didn’t end there, though! Facilitators were sure to include topics beyond the scope of financial and academic college knowledge. Jennie, our Deputy Director, conducted an incredibly informative workshop on mental health and well-being. Staff and students participated in an honest “speed-dating” session, where all sorts of burning questions about college life were answered. Following their eye-opening tell-all, Jennie discussed the pressures of being in college, of being a student-athlete, Penn Face and Duck Syndrome (two phrases coined at UPenn and Stanford, respectively, to indicate a feeling of being overwhelmed at school but too afraid to say so), and how we can help one another. Facilitators reminded everyone that Row New York is, and always will be, a support system for them and if they ever need help it’s okay to reach out.
Next, Alessandra, our Development and Communications Coordinator, led a valuable workshop on sexual respect on college campuses. Students learned and discussed various definitions of sexual disrespect and explored ways to step in and intervene as an active bystander, thereby contributing to a safer and more respectful campus community.
Finally, we rounded out the day by sharing thank you’s and thoughts of the day. Everyone passed around the almighty Brilliance & Bravery baton and spoke of extremely positive and grateful reflections. RNY senior Brittany Benninger found the day to be very helpful: “The Brilliance and Bravery Forum was great because every session truly opened my eyes and taught me something new. The RNY staff members were all very educated in their respective seminar topics, which made the presentations very informative and reassured me that any and all of my questions would be answered thoroughly. And as with any RNY event, it was engaging and fun!”
All in all, it was a wonderful day!
Thank you to the superb staff, who led insightful workshops and helped out – Jennie, Regina, Darise, Alessandra, and Akeelya – our alumni representatives – Anita and Monique – our Young Executives Board member (YEB) representative – Rhoden – and our strong students heading off to their first year of college! We look forward to making this event into a Row New York tradition.
