My YDEV story starts around age five, but then restarts later as a third year college student. As a youth, I had high hopes of becoming a teacher. I loved playing school and always made sure that I played the role of the teacher. Throughout elementary school, I looked up to many teachers and the role that they played throughout my schooling. Fast forward to the Fall of 2012, my first year at RIC. When entering RIC, my declared major was Elementary Education with a concentration in Special Education. After completing two years at RIC, I still had yet to be accepted to the teaching program. I remember looking into the Youth Development program before entering my third year and feeling like it could potentially be a good match for me. However, I decided to give the teaching program one more chance. Sure enough, a third year goes by and I still was not in the program. This is when I took a year off from school and began my internship at Walt Disney World. Having this year off really gave me time to think about what I wanted to do. I definitely knew that I wanted to work with children. However, I also knew that I did not want to be limited to only being in the classroom for the rest of my career. In February 2016, I met with Lesley to learn more about the YDEV Program and the different career paths it could offer. It sounded like a great fit for me, a safe space where I could both bond and advocate with youth. In Fall 2016, I began my first year as a YDEV student and loved it. Now, only months away from graduation, I have learned so much through my YDEV community and am excited to take what I have learned out into my own community and future safe spaces.
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