While the metaphor of the door of opportunity has become cliche, it is the image that comes to mind when I think of the Kenan Fellow/Mentor partnership. I have had the opportunity to work with three tremendous mentors during my Kenan Fellowship journey: LaVerne Weldon, Carmella Fair, and Sarah McManus. Despite having tremendously full plates of their own, these ladies have not only made themselves available for support, but have also opened the door to new opportunities. Throughout our project, our mentors have invited us to different opportunities to share what we were learning. Last summer, our mentors invited each of the Home Base Kenan Fellows to take part in DPI’s presentation in our Regional Summer Institute.
Sarah McManus, LaVerne Weldon and June Atkinson
In August, our mentors arranged for the Home Base Kenan Fellows to be recognized at the State School Board, and in September, two of us were honored to address the board. In March, we are invited again to share our experiences at the Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement in Greensboro.
Addressing the SBE
The above opportunities have been amazing learning experiences, but personally, I am most proud of the opportunity to invite two of our mentors to my school. Being in Region 8, visitors from Raleigh tend to be the exception, not the rule. Through the Kenan Fellow/Mentor partnership, we were able to build a bridge between DPI and an award-winning school in Region 8, at least for a day.
“…one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.” ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief