Hi all!
My name is Kendall and I am excited to be a part of this learning community. I joined the Pongo Certification Program to continue an exploration of how poetry and writing can be implemented in one’s healing journey as well as gain Certification itself to support an afterschool program at Washington Middle School this upcoming academic year. I have found poetry to be quite healing in my own life and journey, whether it’s reading, writing, or listening – I continue to find myself incorporating it into my own practices, and moments of reflection and discovery.
My background is in psychology, sociology, and school counseling. Prior to my current role at SU – I did work with FareStart, Teen Feed, and Changemakers at Garfield HS. Right now I work as a program manager on the Seattle University Youth Initiative and will be going into my second year at Washington, the first day of school is this week! We have programs at Bailey Gatzert Elementary, Garfield High School, and Yesler Terrace, as well – all focused on cradle to career support for families in the community.
Our plan is to launch a pongo poetry afterschool program in the Spring through the Redhawk Academic Mentoring Program in collaboration with Husky Out of School Time (HOST) at Washington Middle School. We also do one-on-one mentoring during the school day, on elective periods, and I am looking into how pongo approaches and writing exercises can be infused into our daily mentoring sessions as well. We serve 50 students each year with 25 college mentors coming down from SU weekly to connect with their mentee in our space located on site at the school. Our Initiative is focused on love, joy, connection, and liberation.
Truly enjoyed reading each of your stories and projects, and look forward to connecting more!
