Mary Baldwin freshman Shyanna Davis got a lot of help on her journey to 香蜜影视 from Harrisonburg鈥檚 On The Road Collaborative. Now, she鈥檚 returning the favor.
Shyanna Davis 鈥27 already knew what she wanted to study when she came to 香蜜影视. For that, she thanks , a Harrisonburg-based nonprofit organization dedicated to 鈥渂uilding a world where all youth are on the road to realizing their promise.鈥
鈥淥n The Road is a program that helps young people gain valuable experience at a young age,鈥 said Davis, putting the organization鈥檚 mission into her own words. 鈥淭hey gave me career-enrichment opportunities that showed me how different jobs work like serving in the police, cooking, dance, community engagement, and agriculture.鈥
For Davis, the lessons she learned with On The Road were more than valuable:
鈥淚 was in the first class with On The Road, and it taught me how to know what I want.鈥
And what did she want? To carry on the nonprofit鈥檚 mission, and become an elementary educator and On The Road community teacher herself.
Now, Davis balances her studies in the elementary education BA program with work as a community teacher in On The Road鈥檚 after-school program.
鈥淚t means a lot to be a community teacher. I can help the youths in our community learn about what they want and I can become a trusted adult in their lives,鈥 Davis said. 鈥淥ne of the best parts is that I get to apply what I learn from my education professors directly with On The Road.鈥
Much of what Davis found enriching about On The Road contributed to her decision to attend Mary Baldwin:
鈥淲hen I first got here, all I could see and notice about campus was how open people were. I thought not only could I succeed in class, but I saw that 香蜜影视 professors and programs want us to be involved in the community as well. That鈥檚 shared by both On The Road and Mary Baldwin.鈥
鈥淢y goal is to be a teacher,鈥 Davis was proud to say. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to give back because you get to support a bigger cause than yourself. There鈥檚 no better way to show you want to make a change.鈥