WHY DID YOU JOIN ACE?
I joined ACE because I noticed that I wasn’t doing well with the standard way of learning in mainstream. I didn’t feel like I was getting enough support from teachers. I didn’t feel a family bond and didn’t feel connected to other people in my classes. There was a competitive feeling in my honors classes.
I feel like I have learned how to stay out of drama over time. We have diverse teachers. It has been nice to build a connection with those teachers who I share culture with. With ACE Student Leadership team, I have liked having a voice. We try to connect and make sure that everyone feels comfortable and safe.
I loved my internship with Harvard MedScience. I was able to connect with young women of color like me who wanted to enter the medical field. We bonded in the class and learned all about the body and how to diagnose patients. It was great that I could earn academic credit for science in ACE.
I also did a Capstone and Legacy project on Mass Incarceration.
It was great to come into school and study things that I am passionate about.
This allowed me to do something hands-on and learn about something that excites me for my future. Other accomplishments during my time in ACE have been:
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Receiving the Brookline Youth Award
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Receiving the Bryn Mawr Book Award
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Having the chance to graduate early
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Being giving the ability to try new things….like restorative justice circles.
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Being a leader in MSAN and going on international trips.
ACE has allowed me to find out about opportunities that I don’t think I would have known about or have been nominated for if I had stayed in mainstream.
ACE is a great program for discovering yourself. Competency-based learning allows you to figure what style of learning is best for you. Whether it was my personal life or academic life, I learned what I am good at and what I needed to get better at. You have to want it for yourself. You can’t come in and goof of. You have to want to do better in school and better yourself.