Hear from junior infielder Molly Dickerson on her work with the Phillips Brooks House Association's Summer urban program:  

I spent my summer working with nine rising fifth graders as a Senior Counselor in the Phillips Brooks House Association's Summer Urban Program. The Summer Urban Program provides kids from low-income neighborhoods with an affordable summer education opportunity that includes practicing one hour of math and one hour of literacy per day. The specific program that I worked in was called Chinatown Adventure (CHAD) and was located at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Boston's Chinatown. During my time at Harvard, I have become interested in the issue of inequity in the American education system, and I wanted to explore that interest more during the Summer. I have learned a lot about how summer learning loss exacerbates inequity in the education system, so participating in CHAD was a great way for me to support kids who do not always have access to educational summer camps.

This summer was challenging and spectacular. I grew a lot in terms of the ability to manage my work, as I had to make my own curriculum each week and make sure that I had the supplies necessary for lesson activities. In addition to this position, I had a second job working as a monitor at Blodgett Pool, which helped me become more efficient with my work. I also had to support two Junior Counselors (JCs), who were essentially teaching aids for my classroom, by helping them create their own lesson plans. Working with my JCs was a very rewarding experience because I was able to be part of a team and take on a leadership role in a way that I had not before.

I learned a lot about Chinatown and other neighborhoods in Boston during my time this summer. I am originally from Arizona, so my work experience this summer was very different from anything I have done at home. Every day was an adventure, from taking the red line to work, to navigating Boston so I could take my kids to different parks. I love Boston, and since the COVID-19 pandemic limited the time and experiences I had during my first year at Harvard, I am so grateful that I was able to spend extra time in the Boston area while pursuing my undergraduate degree.

Most importantly, the children that I worked with were wonderful. They all had such different and exciting passions. Seeing their awareness and interest in making the world a better place in just the fourth grade was inspiring. One of my kids expressed interest in the U.S. government and politics, so I made an effort to incorporate a civics lesson once per week. At the end of the Summer, she told me that she wants to be on the Supreme Court when she grows up. I loved getting to know all of my campers, and I am so excited to see the amazing things they do as they grow older.

I am going to continue looking into the American education system in a class I'm taking this semester, "Inequality in the U.S.," and my hands-on experience this summer will be informative as I research the subject. I feel so fortunate for the time I spent working with CHAD this summer, and now I am looking forward to another year with Harvard Softball!