Soulsville also works beyond the classroom to
ensure kids are prepared to succeed in the real
world. Every student participates in Summer
Growth Experiences (SGE), an initiative that
connects kids with the wide array of free summer
programs offered in Memphis.
“For a lot of students, maybe you’re not inherently
invested in the day-to-day academic world of
school. But in the summer, you’re in a program
where you might get to fly an airplane or job
shadow a chef or help take care of animals at
the zoo,” Ms. Shores said. “All of a sudden your
world is kind of blown up and you know, ‘This is
what I want to do. I need to do the best I can in
school so I can do this.’”
In addition to having adventures and meeting
peers from around the city, Soulsville students
gain from SGE the experience of dealing with
application processes. Completing essays and
application forms, interviewing for programs,
arriving on time and prepared for each day
of the summer – the process has soft skills and
professional experiences embedded throughout.
For this reason, students are required to apply to
at least three programs each year, even if they
already know which one they’ll join.
“If you’re a first-generation college student, the
whole application process can be daunting. That
can feel like such an overwhelming task,” Ms.
Shores said. “If you’ve been filling out applications
since you were a ninth-grader to all these summer
programs, then you are far less intimidated by that
process.”
Once kids graduate, the school keeps open lines
of communication. Soulsville’s alumni support
program maintains individualized contact with
students – Facebook messages, posts about
how-tos and best practices in college – and helps
first-generation college students navigate new
and difficult terrain. Soulsville has found that help
41
WE’VE SEEN THINGS
THAT HONESTLY
SEEM SOMEWHAT
MIRACULOUS
-Ashley Shores
navigating details of life after high school can
make all the difference. This is especially true
for the first year of college. If students make it
through freshman year, they’re much more likely
to graduate, Ms. Shores said. But many seemingly
small barriers can arise during this transition.
For example, a student might work hard all
through high school, then arrive on a campus
and learn she can’t move into her planned
student housing because she hasn’t received the
right shots. In that situation, if a student doesn’t
have $150 and know that she needs to find a
Walgreens, college plans can be completely
derailed.
“That one little thing makes the difference
between matriculating and not matriculating,” Ms.
Shores said. “So many barriers arise.”
For DeVonte, who is currently applying to three
colleges and plans to study physical therapy,
the support he has received from Soulsville is
remarkable.
“Because of the area we’re in, you wouldn’t think
there would be the support and the love. It’s not
like that,” he said. “The teachers love us. They
care about us. They want each and every one of
us to succeed.”