NUPIP Intern 2009-10

Bradley Troast was a NU Public Interest Program fellow from July 2009 to June 2010 then was hired to be part of the Cabrini Connections staff from July 2010 to March 2011.

Here's a part of one of the first blog articles he wrote on July 14, 2009:

As fresh eyes here at Cabrini Connections and the Tutor/Mentor Connection, I am tasked with learning the organizations and my role in them. On the one hand, I want to get to know our students and volunteers of which there are more than 150 combined, and on the other hand, I want to understand concepts in the field of tutoring and mentoring and how our work - past, present, and future - fits into that conversation. 

Though such an orientation may seem daunting, I am well positioned for a swift familiarization. Resources here are endless! Cabrini Connections' historical record is exhaustive. More than 60 students and volunteers have been showcased in our spotlight, and I have already met several of them as they frequent our center over the summer. The Tutor/Mentor Connection web site is an invaluable asset. You can search an interactive map to find locations of tutoring and mentoring programs in the Chicago area.

On Sept. 4, 2009 Bradley wrote this article about the Tutor/Mentor Institute. He included this paragraph:

So if Dan were to start his own Tutor/Mentor advisory firm, what might it look like? Well, perhaps it already exists. The Tutor/Mentor Institute gathers and organizes all that is known about successful non-school tutor/mentor programs and shares that knowledge to expand the availability and enhance the effectiveness of such services to children in inner city Chicago and other impoverished areas.

Little did Bradley know that in mid 2011 Dan Bassill would launch a Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC for the actual purpose which Bradley outlines in his 2009 article.

At the end of his full year as a NUPIP fellow, Bradley wrote this in a July 12, 2010 article:

It's hard to believe all that has transpired in the last 365 days. When I read my predecessor's "One year later" post last summer, I could sense his love for this work, but I couldn't feel it yet. I couldn't comprehend it. One year later, I know exactly what he was talking about. I am so happy with my position here and I am so grateful to be surrounded by more than 70 young people, almost 100 adult volunteers, and five invaluable staff members.

The more I value the work of Cabrini Connections, the more I understand the necessity of Tutor/Mentor Connection. While we do great work at 800 W Huron, there need to be facilities like this all across Chicago; all across the nation. After-school hours are a vulnerable time for youth and if we can engage them in positive, academic- and career-oriented activities, we will all be better off. We are training the next generation. I can see this on the ground, but I need others to see it, too. 

I would love to have more people in power such as businessmen, politicians, or athletes reading this blog and Dan's blog, visiting our web sites, or visiting our tutoring site, in order to recognize the value of our program.

Each of these articles is an example of how Tutor/Mentor Connection / Institute, LLC has encouraged interns to learn and make sense of our strategies, then communicate their understanding, to their readers, via blog articles, videos, and/or visualizations. This is work that students from any part of the world could be doing.

Visit Bradley's blog and read more of the articles he wrote between July 2009 and April 2011.