by Anna Paustenbach, Summer Intern
This summer, I was lucky to have the opportunity to be an intern for the Peninsula Bridge program. After three years of being a TA, and then one as the head TA at the Sacred Heart site, I returned to Peninsula Bridge as an intern in the main office. From this vantage point I began to understand the bigger picture: transitioning from working one-on-one with students in the classroom to understanding the overarching goals and strategies that guide our seven program sites. This was a great lesson for me in terms of how a community comes together to increase student learning.
Peninsula Bridge is comprised of two communities that are normally separate--the independent school community and the public school families from low-income areas. It was inspiring to me to see these communities find a way to work together for the betterment of all. I will never forget what Les DeWitt told me when I interviewed him for a press release I wrote earlier in the summer. He said, "If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a community to create and sustain the Peninsula Bridge program." That has stuck with me because it reinforces the vision and power of new communities to make lasting change.
Anna is a Senior at Santa Clara University majoring in English and Religious Studies.