“Writing is very essential to anything that you’re going to do in life, own a business, work in a corporation, whatever it may be you need to learn how to write,” Saleem Brown, executive director of Write Your Future, said.
Write your future is a program dedicated to enhancing the writing skills of high school students. In order to have a successful college experience and career later on in life, writing is pertinent in everything that you do.
Through the summer enrichment program, students will attend courses throughout the week taught by college professors that will focus on literacy, positive psychology and career building.
Saleem Brown is a Chester, Pa., native who, from a young age, struggled a little bit with his own writing skills. “I created this program not only to help students write but to give them valuable life skills. All the things that I learned when I was 28, 30 and 31 I want them to learn at an early age,” Brown said.
Brown attended Cardinal O’Hara High School. While in high school playing basketball and schoolwork were his main focuses.
(Saleem Brown)
Photo by Cabrini Athletics
“In my mind I knew growing up that at some point in time I wanted to give back and help these students out who didn’t have a support group around them. As for me I grew up around my uncles, my grandparents and my mom who always had my back. I had people who were going to push me to do my best,” Brown said.
Brown is also the associate director of the first year experience at Cabrini University.
Brown said that when he got to Cabrini he learned about giving back to community and doing service for others. Being a coach for a number of years here at Cabrini University allowed him to mold young men into men. He spent all of his childhood growing up in the inner city. There’s not always a focus on education, your focus is always getting out and making it.
From process to completion it took about three years to complete the program. Brown says that there were so many steps to starting his non profit that he almost gave up on it. The thing that pushed his efforts forward was knowing that if he gave up on the program that he would be giving up on all those students.
Michelle Filling-Brown and Richie Gebauer are the two program directors for the Summer Enrichment Program.
(Filling-Brown is on the left and Gebauer to the right)
Photo by Nasir Ransom
“The long term goal is for students to return to the program every summer. Perhaps if they have earned enough certificates through the program that we would offer fee waivers for applying to college or maybe a textbook scholarship. Also that they are developing relationships with professionals in higher education that we may be able to write letters of recommendation for them as they apply for college,” Michelle Filling-Brown said.
At the end of each two week session students will receive a certificate of completion.
Brown wants the students to walk away from the two week program saying that they were better than they were yesterday. Little by little day by day improving on themselves.
As chair of the English Department at Cabrini University, Filling-Brown has a focus on literacy and written communication.
“I’ve always been passionate about service and engaging youth,” Filling-Brown said.
Richie Gebauer, director of the first year experience, has never anticipated any sort of life in the writing world. While working towards his bachelor’s degree, a few words changed his outlook. In his undergraduate studies a professor told him that he was a poor writer, which sparked his interest in bettering his writing skills. It challenged him to work really hard over his four years, even picking English as his minor.
Writing is not a one and done process. Writing is constant updating and improvement upon a skill set. Knowing that there is always room for growth in writing is essential.
“I look forward as we’re building out this Write Your Future program hopefully we can encourage, inspire and excite students about building their writing skills now,” Gebauer said. “Better preparing them for the future so that they have these skills and can apply these skills in a college setting. Student heading into 9th, 10th and 11th grade, they are impressionable. We are really excited to be able to contribute to their lives as they prepare for college.”
Somewhere around 20-25 students will be present in each two-week program to start, with hopefully 40-50 in the future.
“One of the things that we take for granted is that we’re here on a college campus everyday. Just think about how powerful it is for a high school student to be on a college campus,It allows someone, especially first generation students going to college, to feel comfortable. I hope that students take away from this the idea that this is something they can do and know that they can go to college,” Filling-Brown said.
At Write Your Future they will provide students with the tools to better improve their writing skills. Hopefully they will go back to school in the fall and continue to lean on their professors during the school year for help.
“I think number one, what sets this program apart from others is the fact that it’s on a college campus and it’s being taught by college professors,” Brown said.
“When we sat down with Saleem we weren’t really thinking about other similar programs, we were thinking about if we could build a program what would it look like. What could we offer students over a two-week span that could contribute to their own individual well being. Helping them build their professional identity,” Gebauer said.
What’s unique about Write Your Future is that students will not only come for a writing program but they will see the genuineness of the faculty, and have a chance to build the long lasting relationships and connections for life.
