I interviewed a Roosevelt alumnus named Gilly; he became a director for a program called Beacons, part of the YMCA at Roosevelt High School. I asked him many questions about his experience attending the school and how he is improving the school by using an after-school program for students.

Let’s start with his experience as a student at Roosevelt High School. He enjoyed being at school a lot; he got to meet new people and learn how to be more responsible for himself.  He was very shy; he only spoke to people that he knew, especially the teachers that gave a good example of being who you are and always encouraged students.  Two of the teachers he really liked and enjoyed class with were Ms. Spector and Ms. Jensen; they were his favorite teachers, and they always made school fun for him. Which made him have a good time.

Now we get into how he became a director at Roosevelt High School for the after-school program.  He first joined the program when he was a student, and while he was at the program, he joined a breakdancing club. He became more involved with the program and even got close to the people there. He later joined the Beacons leadership staff as a high schooler. He started but never thought he would be a director for the program.

In high school he wanted to be a baseball player, but it changed over time. He started working with youth, which he ended up liking. Because he helped students to feel confident and loud within themselves. His job really helps him connect with the people and meet new people. Build fun things for the students; he enjoys helping students that can benefit from it. He learns lots of things being around young teens, like being patient and being organized, and he just enjoys seeing students smile while they’re in the program. The program helps students find a hobby after school and do fun activities. They can also work as high school staff!  He made sure students know they matter and they can get out of their shy zone and hang around with people. This makes Gilly happy to see kids grow and become mature. Gilly also has a degree in graphic design, which helps him a lot to create all the events for the Beacons program. The work he does is helping the youth do cool activities. Also makes outside connections so they can help the students with what they need.  This job has really helped Gilly a lot, even though he didn’t think he would be doing this now, but he does not regret it. He enjoys it a lot and is thankful for the opportunities he has gotten throughout the years. Students see a good example when it comes to Gilly; they see confidence, creativity, coolness, and outgoingness. Which reflects who Gilly is and also what the program represents.