From st helens high school to college
Sharing my failures and successes as a college student to help high school students prepare for a successful college experience.
(photo credit: St Helens High School website)
Hello! My name is Awen Moon Gatten (she/her) and I am a senior at Portland State University. I am a mathematics major, with a minor in secondary education. This is my last term as an undergrad, as I am earning my BS degree this June, and immediately beginning my grad program, having been accepted into the Graduate Teacher Education Program at PSU.
I found my calling to teaching while working as an AVID Tutor at St. Helens High School. For the past 4.5 years, I have been working in a variety of capacities, getting my community's youth ready for the next step after their K-12 journey comes to a close. My capstone is an extension of my work: a series of weekly Zoom presentations, talking about tips and tricks for being a successful college student. My goal is to teach at the middle or high school in this district and continue my work, providing support to the amazing students with whom I am honored to work. |
my senior capstone project
zoom session #4 - summer to-dos
This is the Zoom recording from my fourth session. The topic was "Summer To-Dos". The three month period between high school graduation and the first day of fall term is a dangerous time when things can go wrong. This presentation gives students a list of 5 things to do during the summer to make sure they can start classes on day 1.
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ZOOM SESSION SUMMARY
Here is a summary of what I covered each week during my Friday Zoom sessions.
To watch all of my videos, please visit my website by clicking the button below.
To watch all of my videos, please visit my website by clicking the button below.
Reflecting on this journey... thus far
The work that I have done at the high school prior to my capstone provided an "a-ha" moment for me. It was in the AVID classrooms at St. Helens High School where I realized that I truly had a passion to help students, but not just AVID students - all high school students. As a result, my education and career paths changed.
My senior capstone, From SHHS To College, was an opportunity for me to share what my college experience has been like, both the good and the bad. This work is very dear to my heart, and I wholeheartedly believe that attending college provides many growth opportunities, not just in the classroom, but also through engaging with other students, volunteerism, and the ups and downs of interacting in the world as an adult.
As an older student, I thought I knew everything there was to know about being a college student. I was wrong. My first year was spent in self-enforced isolation. Being alone was where I felt comfortable, but it also cast me as an outsider in my own college experience. Only through becoming active in Phi Theta Kappa did I realize that college isn't just a place for academic pursuits; it is also a place to find myself and to connect to others.
My capstone, From SHHS To College, was a way for me to help college-minded students prepare for life as a college student by sharing the tips, tricks, and tools I had acquired through the past 5+ years. Through these 9 weekly sessions, I provided students with a basic understanding of what it takes to be a successful college student, as well as tools to make the most out of the college experience.
Given the current Covid-19 pandemic, I was limited in the way I could present my sessions. Ideally, I would have loved to have been able to provide face-to-face meetings with students, as well as speaking in classrooms. Sadly, I was limited to Zoom, which although provided a great platform all things considered, there was still a disconnect. I am thankful for the students who attended my sessions. I have always believed that community supports community. This capstone allowed me the chance to support my community in a way that hasn't been attempted before.
Through this process, I have gained a greater sense of purpose than I had prior to beginning my capstone. I have learned that knowledge isn't always what is taught in books; knowledge is the passing of information between people and groups. My ultimate goal would be to teach a College Life Skills class at a high school, where I could expand on my 9-week lecture series and dive deeper into these very important topics. I have also created a Google Site (button above), where I will upload my recordings, so all college-minded people of any age can benefit from my experiences.
My capstone project further cemented for me the fact that I am an educator. I have a voice, and it is a voice that can help others. This capstone was my opportunity to use that voice, and now that I have started to speak, I will continue using my voice in the hopes that it helps students who think college is unattainable reach for the stars!
My senior capstone, From SHHS To College, was an opportunity for me to share what my college experience has been like, both the good and the bad. This work is very dear to my heart, and I wholeheartedly believe that attending college provides many growth opportunities, not just in the classroom, but also through engaging with other students, volunteerism, and the ups and downs of interacting in the world as an adult.
As an older student, I thought I knew everything there was to know about being a college student. I was wrong. My first year was spent in self-enforced isolation. Being alone was where I felt comfortable, but it also cast me as an outsider in my own college experience. Only through becoming active in Phi Theta Kappa did I realize that college isn't just a place for academic pursuits; it is also a place to find myself and to connect to others.
My capstone, From SHHS To College, was a way for me to help college-minded students prepare for life as a college student by sharing the tips, tricks, and tools I had acquired through the past 5+ years. Through these 9 weekly sessions, I provided students with a basic understanding of what it takes to be a successful college student, as well as tools to make the most out of the college experience.
Given the current Covid-19 pandemic, I was limited in the way I could present my sessions. Ideally, I would have loved to have been able to provide face-to-face meetings with students, as well as speaking in classrooms. Sadly, I was limited to Zoom, which although provided a great platform all things considered, there was still a disconnect. I am thankful for the students who attended my sessions. I have always believed that community supports community. This capstone allowed me the chance to support my community in a way that hasn't been attempted before.
Through this process, I have gained a greater sense of purpose than I had prior to beginning my capstone. I have learned that knowledge isn't always what is taught in books; knowledge is the passing of information between people and groups. My ultimate goal would be to teach a College Life Skills class at a high school, where I could expand on my 9-week lecture series and dive deeper into these very important topics. I have also created a Google Site (button above), where I will upload my recordings, so all college-minded people of any age can benefit from my experiences.
My capstone project further cemented for me the fact that I am an educator. I have a voice, and it is a voice that can help others. This capstone was my opportunity to use that voice, and now that I have started to speak, I will continue using my voice in the hopes that it helps students who think college is unattainable reach for the stars!