Going "beyond the hedges"
Many college students keep busy with their studies and their social lives. But not Annie. Like several hundred others each year, she makes time to go "beyond the hedges" to volunteer in PAIR's programs.
As a freshman at Rice University, Annie was looking for a way to get involved in the community and continue mentoring, which she'd done during high school. An information session led her to PAIR, where she could mentor youth from around the world.
Volunteering with PAIR, Annie says, "has been the single most significant experience I've had as a college student."
Beginning in 6th grade
Annie began volunteering in the Global Learners program at Fondren Middle School, working with 6th grade students, many newly arrived in Houston. She spent two more years in Learners, becoming a "program officer" with added responsibility assisting PAIR program managers through Rice University's PAIR volunteer group.
This year Annie followed many of the students she has gotten to know to the Global Leaders program at Westbury High School, where they are now in 9th grade. Annie also now volunteers in PAIR's new individual mentoring program at Westbury and serves as vice-president of the Rice PAIR group.
Discovering a passion for teaching
During that first year as a volunteer, Annie loved building relationships with the kids, helping them adjust to their new school and master English. She felt the powerful pull of making a difference in the lives of youth and changed her plans for the future:
"Volunteering with PAIR helped me realize I wanted to be a teacher."
Annie has learned that refugees' lives remain unsettled even here in Houston. She works to stay in touch with those who have moved away from PAIR's program sites, "letting them know they can always reach out to me, that I am there for them." She cherishes the long-term connections she's developed with many students and their families.
As she heads toward graduation from Rice in May 2014 and a career in teaching, Annie explains why she advises others to join in PAIR's work:
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In PAIR you find a community that you have probably never been exposed to and probably don't know anything about. This exposure is really eye-opening. Through PAIR you build relationships with young students who are so strong, so resilient, so interesting and funny. You will invest a lot of time and energy in this work, but it is totally worth the effort in the long run!
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