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Stories of Student Successes

Learn about Rise Up For Youth

Kristen

4/14/2022

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"Sisterhood truly changed my life! 
I went to West High School and graduated in 2014. After high school, I attended Washburn University and graduated with my bachelor's degree in 2018. I then attended Law School at Washburn Law and received my J.D. in 2021. I am currently a licensed attorney working as a prosecutor at the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office. Sisterhood helped me realize that college was an option for me. I come from a single-parent home and am the oldest of four children. I didn’t think I could go to college because I knew my mother couldn’t afford to pay college tuition. ​​
​Sisterhood informed and educated me about scholarships and grants. Sisterhood volunteers also helped me fill out college and scholarship applications. When I was accepted into Washburn, Sisterhood sent me to college with a dorm care package. Most importantly, Sisterhood continued to support and encourage me, not only while working on my bachelor's degree but also while in law school. In addition, Sisterhood constantly placed women in front of me that came from backgrounds like mine, women who attended college, graduated college, and became successful in their given careers. Seeing those women overcome some of the obstacles I had gone through made me realize I could overcome them too. It encouraged me to strive for every dream I had no matter how big or small. 
I definitely do not think my life would be the same without Sisterhood. Sisterhood taught me the importance of believing in myself and loving myself. It taught me what good relationships look and feel like; not only intimate relationships but friendships as well. It instilled in me the importance of education and doing what I love. I carry these lessons with me every day and they factor into my daily choices and major life decisions.
I have a lot of memories and stories from my time in Sisterhood. The one memory I hold most dear is from my Sophomore year of high school. Other Sisterhood participants and I were on our spring break college tour. We were all on the charter bus talking and I decided that it was time for me to share my story. At that time, some other participants and Mrs. Lynn were aware that my father had passed away five years prior but I didn’t talk about it very often. On that bus, on that day, with those girls, I bared my soul. I shared my feelings, thoughts, fears, and tears. I was so nervous when I began to share my story but with every word, I felt better. I felt like every person on that bus saw me, heard me, was there for me, and most importantly, loved me. Afterward, I felt like a burden was lifted off my shoulders and I truly bonded with the other Sisterhood girls and the volunteers. 
It’s important to have a program like Sisterhood because there are numerous high school girls in this city who have no one supporting them, no one looking out for them, and no one encouraging them to make the right choices. Sisterhood, the women who volunteer their time with Sisterhood, and Sisterhood mentors provide the young girls in the program with just that. They support them, encourage them, and provide them with the tools and education to make the right choices whether those be life, education, or relationship choices. I truly adore this program and Mrs. Lynn! Everything that was poured into me helped shape me into the woman I am now, and for that, I am forever grateful."
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Jordan

4/14/2022

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From Left; David (Co-Founder, Youth Champion), Jorge (Brotherhood Student), Jordan (Brotherhood Alumni)
​"Jordan came in as a Freshman and hung out with me all 4 years. He was always outgoing and went to all the college tours, all the workshops, kept all his grades up." -David Gilkey

"My biggest lesson from Brotherhood was that to be successful in life I have to be around the right crowd and put in the time and work to achieve all of my dreams. Brotherhood helped me out by encouraging me to fill out a bunch of applications and find the resources I needed for college. I want to especially thank Mr. Gilkey for everything he has done for me. Even now, as I get older, he still checks in on me asking how I’m doing and making sure I’m always good. I’m blessed that I had a chance to be a part of this great group." -Jordan Manning, Brotherhood Alumni

"Brotherhood gives students like Jordan another outlet. All students have something going on with them. It might not be academic, it could be something personal. Students like him join the Brotherhood program because they want to be among their peers in a positive program that gives them opportunities. It helps a lot of students find themselves and become someone they wouldn't think they could become." -David Gilkey
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Jorge

4/14/2022

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​"I am where I am today is because of David. He taught me that we hold the key to our future and we should use it wisely. I've learned a lot about responsibility and being a man."

Jorge took the values he is learning in Brotherhood and put them to use; building the foundation for his future through a trade school program. Currently a Junior at East High, Jorge will graduate from the welding program within a year of his high school graduation. 
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Kylie

4/6/2022

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Kylie is a Junior at North High in the Sisterhood program. After attending the Rise Up For Youth's holiday party in December, she wrote a letter to Co-Founder and Youth Champion, Lynn Gilkey.

"Dear Mrs. Lynn,
I want to thank you for making me feel seen. At the Christmas party you came up to me... and said something along the lines of 'hey you're still with us'. I've struggled with feeling like someone who just blends in with the crowd and in that moment, 
I felt very seen and acknowledged. You said I better stay in Sisterhood for my 4th and last year... and I am going to just so I can continue to grow in Sisterhood. Although the interaction was short it really made my year and let me know that someone has noticed me through these years of high school. So thank you Mrs. Lynn for everything you do. You, Ms. Vanessa, Mrs. Sam, and Sisterhood have truly changed my life for the best. I couldn't have asked for a better mentorship group."

"She's involved. She's committed.", said Lynn. "I've seen Sisterhood bring her out of her shell. I've seen her socializing and leaning into being uncomfortable. I love that she is part of this program. She's just like this butterfly now!"
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Gizelle

3/23/2022

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Rise Up For Youth student, Gizelle, received a $500 mini-grant from Youth Service America (YSA) to plan and execute a community service project. She said of her project:
"My project was giving people cleaning products like Lysol Clorox wipes bleach; I also put in other things that people could use. I chose to do this project because I saw that the prices of products kept increasing and I knew that not everybody could afford this. So I got products that are commonly used to disinfect/clean. The project went pretty well! I was not expecting so many people to come because of the rain and snow, but a lot of people did show up. Everybody was so grateful to get something and it felt nice that people appreciated the work I put into this."

Gizelle's Youth Champion, S'ambrosia, added, "[Gizelle's project] went really well today. She probably won't say it, but she added some of her own money to the YSA grant to make sure she could buy enough products for people. She made a big sacrifice and definitely deserves recognition!"

YSA is a nationwide nonprofit that seeks to increase volunteering and civic engagement opportunities for young people. As part of their work, they created the Youth Service Zone program to fund communities across the country in their efforts to increase youth volunteerism and build up youth leadership.

Great job, Gizelle, and thank you for Rising Up for our community!
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Kayci

3/3/2022

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Kayci Hockman is a senior at East High, in her fourth year in the Rise Up For Youth Sisterhood program. She aspires to be a Medical Doctor and has received a full scholarship to attend WSU this fall, 2022. Her new community mentor, Ashley Debrot, a graduate from WSU  earning a medical degree, has agreed to work with Kayci to help her achieve her goals. Dr. Debrot is excited to allow Kayci to shadow her at KU Medical Center. We are so proud of our student's ambitions and grateful that our community steps up to empower students! Thank you!
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Davii

3/3/2022

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My name is Davii, I go to East High, class of 2023. I speak English, Luganda, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Soga, and am currently learning Spanish and French. My family travels. Sometimes, when we traveled in parts of Africa I had to pick up on the languages by playing with the other kids around the neighborhood. Mostly I learned these languages because my mom is a human translator so she went places where she was needed to translate and I tagged along because sometimes it would take a while before she came back. I want to use the same skills but only to help future students by becoming a teacher and understanding what they say no matter what languages they speak. I joined Brotherhood to get to know people more and be productive. While in brotherhood I have come to realize the way you picture adulthood as a child isn't the way it really is. I see Brotherhood as a group of totally different people that come together to see each other's differences. To someone thinking of joining Brotherhood I would totally recommend it because it can show you that there are other people just like you but at the same time very different and you can connect with all of them in your own way. I plan on going to college but I don't plan on going to college here in Kansas. I want to study abroad in Argentina, but that all depends on if I get a scholarship to do so. I want to be a linguistics teacher or a teacher either way because I want to teach future young minds that there is more to other languages than what they may hear.
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  • About
    • How it started
    • Team
    • Board Members
    • Partnerships
    • News
  • For Supporters
    • Donate
    • Impact
    • Volunteer
    • Student Successes
    • Annual Report
    • Champions Circle
  • For Students
    • Enroll Today!
    • Events
    • Programs >
      • Brotherhood
      • Sisterhood
  • For Parents
    • Enroll Your Student
    • Curriculum
  • Donate