Spending the Summer the Pathways way!
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in the category Behind the Scenes
Indeed, summer was a hectic yet worthwhile experience for the students of Pathways. But it was a summer well spent as the students gained not only more knowledge but valuable experience that will help them face the bigger and tougher world outside.
For most students, summer is a time to relax and have fun. After all, it was a welcome break after 10 months of heavy school work. But it is a different story for the student-participants of Pathways. It was a summer of academic preparation, of service and of experiencing the real world, all in the hopes of inching closer to their dreams
Pathways’ incoming 4th year participants from the different Marikina and Quezon City public high schools spent the last summer preparing for college entrance exams by reviewing lessons in Math, English and Science. The review sessions, which included mock exams for UP and Ateneo, was held at the Ateneo High School and generously sponsored by the Loyola Student Center.
Incoming college participants, on the other hand, underwent College Preparatory Classes which simulated college classroom lessons and discussions in English and Math. Teachers and Professors, such as Mr. Jerry Burns, an American Fulbright Scholar, facilitated the classes and gave discussions on lessons such as Critical Thinking, which would give the participants knowledge and skills useful in their different college subjects.
From experience with our previous batches, the college preparatory classes helped our students prepare for the tougher college curriculum that awaits them. It gave them an overview and a feel of what it would be like taking up college Algebra and English.
Consistent with its mission of molding the youth into future leaders who will work for the improvement of our society, Pathways College participants spent their summer “giving back to their own communities” through the Pay-It-Forward Program (PIF). Groups from UST (Thomasian Project 4 or TP4), Payatas (Pathways Payatas Youth Group or PPYG), Quezon City (Quezon City Youth Group) and Marikina (Students Enthusiasts Rendering Vision and Impact on Competitive Education) decided to forego of their summer vacation and chose to share with other students what they have received from Pathways, thus the term “pay it forward.” Every day for two months, Pathways scholars went to their tutorial centers to teach Math, English, Science, and Self-Enhancement Exercises to the high school students of their respective areas free of charge. They also organized field trips to museums, butterfly gardens and the shoe factory in Marikina. Aside from the usual classroom sessions, special days were allotted to showcase the other skills and talents of the students through plays, interpretative dances and choral competitions.
The Pay-It-Forward Program turned out to be as fruitful for the scholars as for their intended beneficiaries. Pathways participants reported gaining a lot from their experiences (from fund raising to tutoring) of the program. They asserted that they have learned things that were not taught in classrooms and that “giving” really has its rewards. All in all, the PIF experience proved essential in the organization’s mission of training the youth to be future leaders. As most of them realized after all the hard work, frustrations and joys of the last summer; “experience really is the best teacher.”
Pathways’ pioneer batch, consisting of third year college participants, also had a taste of the real world as they had their On-the-Job training in their chosen fields. With the help Pathways friends from the corporate sector, the students gained valuable knowledge and first hand experience from the companies that adopted them for the summer. These companies include Manila Water Corporation, Burger King and Pioneer Insurance, Inc. Pathways hopes to replicate this program for the succeeding batches as it aims to provide our students with a formation that enhances both their academic and life skills.
