BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Students4Change, led by Jaylnn Hammond, organized a leadership event at Sequoia Middle School.
The event aimed to bridge the gap between middle and high school students by offering resources.
- High school students shared their experiences and advice to inspire younger peers.
- Participants learned valuable skills and were encouraged to engage in school activities.
- Hammond plans to continue the initiative to support low-income students in their educational journey.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Students4Change host a day in leadership bridging middle schoolers and high schoolers.
Jalynn Hammond, founder of Students4Change, shares her vision. Ali Nasher, Del Oro student leader at Students4Change, and Kaylynn Daniels, Sequoia Jr. High student, join the conversation. What if the key to success wasn't just in textbooks, but in real connections? That's exactly what a local student-run organization is doing – bridging the gap between middle and high schoolers.
Jalynn Hammond, a senior at Del Oro High, gets to walk the halls of Sequoia Middle School again, the school she grew up in, and this time she's commanding the stage.
During the first A Day In Leadership event that she planned with the local organization she founded, Students4Change, alongside her friends, the goal of this event is to provide students resources and connections she says she never had access to.
"Promote leadership skills in our low income areas because we know they are going to high school and we want to let them know those resources are there for them in high school," says Jalynn.
With breakout sessions teaching middle schoolers what high school is like and tips and tricks to navigate high school, student panelist Ali Nasher, a senior at the same school and a student athlete, shares his journey with the youth. Nasher wishes he had a mentor as high school didn't go as planned. "I didn't really have a purpose. I would just go to school, go to class, and go home, rinse and repeat. I got bored of school, classes started slipping,"
He tells me he is finally on the right track and wants to be the role model he never saw. "It helps us grow but more importantly helps them grow. Oh, these kids are in high school, they are not much older than me, maybe I can do this when I get older and go into high school,"
With around 60 students filling the auditorium and classrooms for the event, Kaylynn Daniels, who has the goal of going to CSUB to study law enforcement, shares the skills she wants to apply to get there.
"Working harder, communicating, trying my best and staying on my path," says Daniels.
As Hammond is leaving Bakersfield for Texas Southern University, she says this is only the beginning of what Students4Change will continue to accomplish for low income students.
Her advice for incoming students is, "Join those clubs freshman year, get in touch with FFA, ASUB, Leadership, Link Crew, anything."
Students4ChangeBako is working on more events like this in the future so younger students have the opportunity to gain skills and have a mentor.
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