East Harris County Impact Scholarship

In my final year of high school, I was one of four students selected to volunteer for a meaningful opportunity—one that would allow me to impact not only classmates my own age, but one of the most deserving groups of people. This opportunity involved mentoring students with special needs in a brand-new special education theater class we called the Buddy Program. My senior year was the first year this class was offered, and I believe my classmates, teacher, and I helped launch the program with an incredible start! The class was filled with amazing, hardworking, and promising students—many of whom had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time. I was grateful not only to make a meaningful impact on these brilliant students, but also to witness my school moving in such a positive direction. Before the program began, many of these same students had limited opportunities and were confined to one classroom for most of the school day. I loved visiting their classrooms to bring them to lessons, and they were always beyond excited. Even before the class officially began, when I was only able to visit, my buddy would ask me every single day if he would be able to go to theater that day. When the class finally started, I think we both felt a sense of fulfillment. I was able to form a genuine friendship with him while also teaching him things he was truly excited to learn. He was finally able to express himself creatively and confidently. From there, things only continued to improve. My director shared that parents were consistently reaching out to express how much their children enjoyed the class and how grateful they were for the opportunity to participate. Students who were once shy began speaking more at dinner. Others who struggled socially started to open up. After months of intentional learning, we all came together at the end of the school year to perform in a play. By then, we had not only grown as individuals, but had also learned so much about one another. This experience meant a great deal to everyone involved, and even though I have since graduated, I would do it all over again.