The
School of Medicine welcomed 17 recent Dunbar High
School graduates to Turner
Auditorium on June 6 for a special graduation ceremony. The
students all had been
participants in the Incentive Mentoring Program, a project
begun four years ago by Sarah
Hemminger, a doctoral candidate in Biomedical
Engineering.
One early January morning, Hemminger had walked over
to Dunbar and, unannounced,
asked to meet with the principal to discuss her desire to
tutor 10 or so freshmen. Not just any
students, she wanted those one step away from academic
expulsion, or otherwise troubled.
The next day, the school gave her 14 students for her
after-class tutorial sessions. Two
months later, the group's number was up to 17.
The students, after a somewhat patchy start, excelled
in the tutorial program and began
to not just pass their courses, but several went on to make
the honors' list. All 17 graduated
on time and have been accepted to colleges.
At the ceremony, each student received a framed
picture with words, penned by the
tutors, that described them. Officials from both Dunbar and
Johns Hopkins attended the
event, as well as friends and families of the students.
The Incentive Mentoring Program's mission is to foster
the academic and social growth
of selected students at Dunbar. Volunteers tutor the
students and, in turn, the high-schoolers
participate in monthly community service projects in order
to build a sense of worth and social
responsibility.
Hemminger started with no staff or funds, just a will
to make a difference. Eventually,
she enlisted some friends and colleagues to volunteer as
tutors twice a week. To date, roughly
160 Johns Hopkins students, and some faculty, have been
involved with the program.
To help support her efforts, Hemminger applied for and
received an Albert
Schweitzer Fellowship, the stipend of which helped to fund
the program's activities. She also
secured a Community Service Grant from the Johns Hopkins
Alumni Association and funds
from her own department.
Hemminger said that it was tough saying goodbye to
these students, who have become
her friends. Yet, a new crop of 20 Dunbar students awaits
her. Time to go back to square one,
she said.
"Some of these new students have serious issues with
drugs, and we're battling with
that right now," she said. "But this time I have lots of
people to help these kids, and I also
have seniors to call on who can help discipline and tutor
the freshmen. I certainly have more
legitimacy now with these kids, as the seniors tell them
they can trust me. I've never told
them anything I didn't follow through on, and the older
ones can back me up."
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