An Interview With SYDNEY
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Sydney joined Great Explorations for summers four and five. She started out a very quite, very reserved young girl. In those two years Sydney blossomed into a self assured young lady who knew her strengths and tackled challenges. This interview was filled with giggles and pauses for thoughtful reflections from a young woman finding her way in the world.
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Q: What do you consider to be your greatest motivator for doing well in school?
A: My greatest motivator was really my mom. Even though it seemed like nagging or bugging me to do stuff I actually got it done. Whether it was for my benefit or to get her to be quiet about it, the work still got done and it was a good job, so the nagging and bugging were ok.
And I usually also motivated myself. If I wanted something I would have to get my work done and then I would get what I wanted.
Q: What kind of rewards would you give yourself?
A: I would tell myself, “If you do your homework and you do a good job on it you can watch TV for the rest of the night or do your nails, maybe get your nails done.” I’m not good at projects, so if I did one and did it on time and not the night before then I would say, “Yeah, I deserve some ice cream.”
Q: How did you handle challenges (i.e., tough test, tough class)?
A: I never kept the challenge to myself. If there was an issue I always had somebody to talk to about it. I was the type a person who wouldn’t raise their hand in class, but I would go after class to ask my question. If you don’t feel comfortable asking a teacher you have to find that one teacher who is one of those people that knows everything and ask them for help.
Q: What did you think of being an Explorer?
A: Oh, my gosh, it was so much fun! I didn’t know about meeting a whole group of new people. It was a little nerve racking at first, but now I am so glad I did it.
Q: How did some of the things you saw or did as an Explorer impact you?
A: Being an Explorer definitely opened my eyes. I was a shy person before Great Explorations, but it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and be nice to people and make friends. Usually, I would wait until people came to me, but that wasn’t going to be the case in this situation. I had to open myself up. Especially with Mrs. Daniels making us go to Hemlock (Sydney chuckles). OH, DEAR HEMLOCK…yeah, that was one thing I got out of it. Another was that you don’t have to be a rapper or a basketball player to make something of yourself.
Q: What was a memorable Explorer moment?
A: After whitewater rafting everyone in the van fell asleep. When I woke up my arms and my legs were so sore. When I got back to the house I don’t know what happened, but my legs just gave out! That was so funny to me. I was sitting there on the floor laughing because I wish I had been able to see what I looked like falling. I really liked whitewater rafting a lot.
Q: Why would a boy or girl want to be an Explorer?
A: During the summer you’re not stuck in the house watching TV, eating up the refrigerator. You’re actually out doing something. You have something to look forward to every week.
Q: If you were mentoring a youngster in elementary or middle school why would you want her to be an Explorer?
A: So they could also come out of their shell like I did. And so that they would know how many career fields there are in the world. You don’t have to be only a doctor or a lawyer. You can do something you like and make money. I would really want them to know that.
Sydney’s Parting Words:
Know who you are deep inside and know what you stand for. Know what you want. People will try and test it [what you stand for] intentionally and not intentionally. Stay grounded in your family and church, if you have a church home. Find that one person you can go to who will give you adult insight: someone in addition to your parents who will not judge you. That really helps out a lot.
Highlight Spring/Summer 2016: Whitney (Longwood College Class of 2017) shares how Great Explorations helped to shape her decision to become a scientist.
A: My greatest motivator was really my mom. Even though it seemed like nagging or bugging me to do stuff I actually got it done. Whether it was for my benefit or to get her to be quiet about it, the work still got done and it was a good job, so the nagging and bugging were ok.
And I usually also motivated myself. If I wanted something I would have to get my work done and then I would get what I wanted.
Q: What kind of rewards would you give yourself?
A: I would tell myself, “If you do your homework and you do a good job on it you can watch TV for the rest of the night or do your nails, maybe get your nails done.” I’m not good at projects, so if I did one and did it on time and not the night before then I would say, “Yeah, I deserve some ice cream.”
Q: How did you handle challenges (i.e., tough test, tough class)?
A: I never kept the challenge to myself. If there was an issue I always had somebody to talk to about it. I was the type a person who wouldn’t raise their hand in class, but I would go after class to ask my question. If you don’t feel comfortable asking a teacher you have to find that one teacher who is one of those people that knows everything and ask them for help.
Q: What did you think of being an Explorer?
A: Oh, my gosh, it was so much fun! I didn’t know about meeting a whole group of new people. It was a little nerve racking at first, but now I am so glad I did it.
Q: How did some of the things you saw or did as an Explorer impact you?
A: Being an Explorer definitely opened my eyes. I was a shy person before Great Explorations, but it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and be nice to people and make friends. Usually, I would wait until people came to me, but that wasn’t going to be the case in this situation. I had to open myself up. Especially with Mrs. Daniels making us go to Hemlock (Sydney chuckles). OH, DEAR HEMLOCK…yeah, that was one thing I got out of it. Another was that you don’t have to be a rapper or a basketball player to make something of yourself.
Q: What was a memorable Explorer moment?
A: After whitewater rafting everyone in the van fell asleep. When I woke up my arms and my legs were so sore. When I got back to the house I don’t know what happened, but my legs just gave out! That was so funny to me. I was sitting there on the floor laughing because I wish I had been able to see what I looked like falling. I really liked whitewater rafting a lot.
Q: Why would a boy or girl want to be an Explorer?
A: During the summer you’re not stuck in the house watching TV, eating up the refrigerator. You’re actually out doing something. You have something to look forward to every week.
Q: If you were mentoring a youngster in elementary or middle school why would you want her to be an Explorer?
A: So they could also come out of their shell like I did. And so that they would know how many career fields there are in the world. You don’t have to be only a doctor or a lawyer. You can do something you like and make money. I would really want them to know that.
Sydney’s Parting Words:
Know who you are deep inside and know what you stand for. Know what you want. People will try and test it [what you stand for] intentionally and not intentionally. Stay grounded in your family and church, if you have a church home. Find that one person you can go to who will give you adult insight: someone in addition to your parents who will not judge you. That really helps out a lot.
Highlight Spring/Summer 2016: Whitney (Longwood College Class of 2017) shares how Great Explorations helped to shape her decision to become a scientist.