Terrence Foushee - On relationship building and service projects (clip)

Kathryn Wall (KW): What do you love about this role?

Terrence Foushee (TF): I love a lot of things about this role. One, I get to experience what I might consider like life-changing moments with them. And in the classroom I loved, I used to love seeing their “Aha!” moments. But in this role, it really is more of me asking, “Hey, what do you need? What do you want? How can I support and provide opportunities for you?” That doesn’t necessarily mean I solve the problem, but I get to find ways to help and I get to find out what’s important to the scholars without it being outside the classroom. Where in teaching, the best way that I was able to develop relationships with my students was based on how much time I was spending outside the classroom with them. Am I going to the plays? Am I going to the games? Am I having conversations in the hallways with students to find out more than just, like, what are your grades like? I find out what your true interests are and that’s where the relationships really develop. In my role in this job, it’s kind of just a part of what I do. I've just gotten to spend a lot of time with just, especially, the high school students with finding out, “What do you want to do when you graduate?,” and not just “You need to be prepared for college.” “No, really what do you want to do?” I get such a wide variety of answers that you know it gives me something to one, learn more for myself. Like I’ve found out about different jobs that I didn’t know anything about based on what students have told me. Like I’ve had multiple students tell me they want to be an ultrasound technician. And I’m like, “where did you find that out?” And it was multiple students so now I’m learning which schools, which institutions hold programs for ultrasound technicians so they can sign up for those. I’ve had students who have wanted to go into dental hygiene. And luckily, again, as far as being a community servant, and being in YLI, and Mrs. Clark putting me in so many positions as a young high school student to develop relationships is, I’m close with Dr. Shayna Holman who runs her own dentistry. So I’m able to connect students to opportunities, and It’s just really amazing to do that. And then also doing service projects. The service projects, to me, are the most rewarding thing because you’re doing something for somebody else, and you get some time to kind of reflect and talk about why it was important. But the actual work is where you can have the most fun, because a lot of times with the type of work you’re going to be doing, especially if it’s with physical labor like you’re working in a farm, the way that you keep yourself motivated through the work is from the conversations. Like I said before, being the goofy guy that's bringing a crazy amount of energy, and you get to kind of see that impact the other students and it kind of ends up saturating the entire group. And now everybody is having a good time but also doing something for someone else. It’s just, it’s some of the most rewarding experiences. And then ultimately, to see them graduate and then move on to whatever is next, so I love those moments. And we’ve had just so many of them. I’ve been working in this role for probably about seventeen months, and it’s countless moments that I already have. like in my mind that I just really love.

KW: That’s wonderful, It sounds like a great program.

TF: Yeah, It’s an excellent program.

KW: You know, you mention…