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This month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washtneaw are excited to take a moment to highlight and celebrate a few of our Littles who are now 2022 high school graduates! Completing high school is always a major accomplishment, but the challenges that teens have faced during these last few pandemic years has made it an even more impressive feat.
While it was ultimately the hard work and dedication of these Littles that got them here, we also know that having a strong connection with a reliable adult mentor plays a significant part in helping youth achieve their goals. A landmark study conducted by the national Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization showed that our matched Littles skipped less school than their peers and felt more competent when doing their schoolwork, and the majority of them agreed that having a Big in their lives helped them do better in their studies and kept them from dropping out of high school. Our local agency is proud to be a part of helping our Littles make and nurture dependable connections with their Bigs, but we are even more proud of these Littles for never giving up on themselves and for achieving their goals! Karon Karon is a graduate of Pioneer high school and was first matched with his Big Brother Lamont in November of 2015. Over the last seven years, Lamont has provided Karon with the emotional support and academic encouragement he’s needed to accomplish his goals. Most recently, Lamont and the extended BBBS village have helped Karon prepare for college and dorm life at Concordia University, which he plans on attending starting in August of 2023. Congratulations, Karon! We are so proud of you! Logan Logan first joined our program five years ago after being matched with his Big Brother Paul in January of 2017. Logan shared that Paul has been a great big brother and positive influence in his life over the last few years, and has helped him succeed in school. Logan is now officially a graduate of Lincoln High School’s Virtual Academy and is interested in pursuing a career in welding. Congratulations, Logan! We are so proud of you! Zaylah Zaylah is half of one of our longest running matches, having been connected to her Big Sister Brittany over ten years ago in April of 2012! With Brittany’s help, Zaylah has grown into an accomplished and successful young woman who has already completed a Cosmetology program through the Huron Valley Beauty Academy. Now that Zaylah has graduated from Skyline High School, she plans to attend Washtenaw Community College and work towards a degree in Business. Congratulations, Zaylah! We are so proud of you! Regardless of what these Littles end up doing next, we are so happy to have been a part of their story and are rooting for them in all of their future endeavors!  As we begin the last leg of this crazy school year. Many students are returning to in-person learning, while others will close out the school year virtually. We know that it has already been a strange and stressful year and that this transition means more change. If your child is returning to in-person we know your family may be experiencing many adjustments this week such as new bus schedules, anxiety about being around other kids again, adjusting to new schedules, and more. The youth that are remaining virtual may continue to experience social isolation and virtual burnout. No matter how your child is ending the school year, we will continue to be here to support your family and our mentors.
As part of that support we wanted to offer a few helpful tips to ease the anxiety of returning to the classroom, and the fatigue of the virtual learning process. Many of these tips apply to both in person and virtual students, but it is essential to remember that every child is different. Any effective coping strategy must begin with meeting a person where they are, regardless of their age. 3 TIPS FOR HELPING YOUR CHILD COPE WITH ANXIETY
3 TIPS FOR MANAGING SCREEN FATIGUE AND ISOLATION
We hope you found these tips helpful. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out for support, we are here to help. Remember, at BBBS we are Bigger Together! |
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