Hi
my name is Laura Alvarez and I am currently a student at Menlo School. I'm
going to be a senior next year and am really excited about all the fun that
awaits me for this upcoming year. I'm a Bridge alum and have been a T.A at the
Menlo Bridge site for three years. I really love this program and it has really
impacted my life.
One of the most memorable moments of my experience as a Bridge student was definitely my first day. I remember that I was nervous and excited because I didn't know what to expect. So many questions ran through my head like would the teachers be nice, how would the environment be like, and would I like my classes? When I arrived at Menlo I realized that all the worries I had were silly because the Bridge TAs and staff that came to greet us were really nice and fun. They made every moment as fun as possible and kicked the day off with an orientation on the grass field. We played all sorts of trust games that helped us bond with the TAs as well as with the other students. We finished the day with a BBQ and more field games. For me, the first day really tells you what the summer will be like and I found the first day to be awesome and I knew that the summer would be fantastic.
My favorite classes at bridge were music, art, and drama. They were my favorite classes because they weren't classes that were readily available in my community as well as at my school. In art, we were able to learn more about famous painters as well as imitate some of their famous pieces. We also created our own t-shirts, which I still have, and I enjoyed working on freestyle painting. In music, which I had with our site director, Mr. Rolando Victoria, we were able to create our own lyrics and bring in our own music. I remember we also learned how to read notes. In drama, we were given the chance to put up a play for our parents. This gave us a chance to be confident on stage as well as work on our leadership skills.
I chose to become a TA because I believe that TAs play a very important role in the way that Bridge flows. The TAs are always there for students however small or big their problems are. They are seen as role models to the younger students and definitely make the experience fun by playing with the children during break and in the morning. I wanted to be TA so that I could give the children a similar experience to what I had, which was memorable and fun.
To close, Bridge has impacted my life in three very specific ways. If it weren't for Bridge I would have never chose to apply to Menlo School and gone there for high school. Bridge also impacted me academically. Bridge summer school not only helps you catch up with your class but it is actually exposes you to material that will prepare you for the upcoming year. Bridge allowed me to get ahead in my class. Bridge has also impacted my family as well. I have three sisters and two of them also went to Bridge and one of them is helping TA as well. My parents saw how well we were excelling in school because of Bridge and would constantly tell their friends about the program and suggest ways to get their children involved as well.