YouthWorks at Johns Hopkins University

We’re nearing the end of the YouthWorks summer jobs program and I’m going to miss the people I’ve met here. Although most YouthWorks students’ last day is Friday (July31),  my last day is today.  I’ve been selected to do a college tour so I have to leave the program two days early.  Before I go, I’d like to tell you what we did this week.  On Monday we went to Annapolis to do a mock legislative hearing. We did a lot to prepare for the hearing and sometimes it was overwhelming.  Preparing  for the hearing was like doing a big school project.  My fellow YouthWorks members had to research and present written and oral testimony in opposition of or in support of two legislative bills. The bills that we chose were Senate Bill 903 – High school Assessments Prohibition,  and House Bill 205 – School Uniforms. We split up into two groups and created  positions to argue in Annapolis in front of an audience consisting of people from the GCPA office.  I was nervous, but after I started to speak, I did so well I surprised myself.  Now, I know what it feels like to argue for or against a bill.  I learned  a lot of about everyone here and I shared a lot of laughs and joy on the job.  I’m glad I had this opportunity and I wouldn’t mind doing it again. It’s not often that one comes across a job that employs nice people who care about making the job both worthwhile and fun.

We’ve lived in Baltimore all of our lives but have never stepped foot on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus – until a few weeks ago. The buildings are beautiful and the grounds are very pretty and well-maintained. Our two tour guides (shown here) who are students here, showed us a few of the classroom buildings such as the Whiting School of Engineering. (They’re really good at walking backyards). We saw Garland Hall, which houses university President Ronald J. Daniels’ office, and Mason Hall, the main admissions building. We also saw the Milton S. Einsenhower Library and Gilman Hall, the university’s flagship building whose historic interior and exterior is nearing the end of a massive renovatiion.  As Alex Peters, a junior honors student at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, said after the tour, “I wouldn’t mind going to Johns Hopkins.”

 Recently, we traveled to Johns Hopkins’ School of Education building to help the News and Information office set up for a news conference on the new federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The room was cold but full of excitement. We helped by setting up a big JH banner to serve as the backdrop of the news  conference. We then settled in to watch the speakers who included current and new college graduates who about their student loan debt. It was interesting to hear them talk about how the new loan program would help them reduce their loans and help them with other financial obligations. For example, they talked about wanting to buy a home or make their rent payments and buy food and pay bills. The stories were all very powerful. One thing I learned from the news conference is the art of public speaking. I know from watching the news conference that it’s better not to use utterances like “um” or “like” too much because it can make you seem unprepared. More importantly, we had the pleasure of meeting some very important people, including Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels and Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes. We also got to meet John Berry who was hired by President Obama to be the director of the Office of Personnel Management. Overall, the news conference was a great learning experience.

My name is Chanel. I was born in Baltimore and have lived here all my 17 years. I currently live on the West side of the city in Edmonson Village. I attend the Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship High School were I will  be a senior this fall. I would like to become a registered nurse when I finish college. I live with my mother, stepfather and my little sister. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also sing and dance and run track. I enjoy eating all types of food and I love a good nap.