YELLS Youth Spotlight: Grace Imariha

One of the “High-Five Expectations” in the YELLS Afterschool Program is Choose Kindness. The idea becomes a self-standard, especially for how our Scholars treat others. We support our students in the development of a greater self-awareness of how their ideas and actions affect everything and everyone around them as part of their empowerment journey.  In this endeavor, YELLS Scholars define what it means to be a “good friend” and community member. One YELLS Scholar working hard to choose kindness is Grace Imariha, who has been with us since she began Kindergarten. Through an interview with 2-year volunteer, Mr. William, meet Grace, 3rd grader from Lockheed Elementary School:

Grace Imariha

Q: Do you think helping other people is important? If so, why?
A: I think, yes, because it’s important, because if you don’t help other people they might not help you back and it’s very important in general because it just makes you feel good on the inside.

Q: If you were the president of this country, what would you change? If you were the principal of your school, what would you change?
A: … as president I don’t want any of my fellow beings to get hurt. If I was the principal of my school I think I would change bullies…they make students not feel welcome and I would want my students to feel welcome.

 

Q: What qualities do you think make a great friend?
A: I think that you have to be there for your friend and you shouldn’t talk about them behind their back. You should have thankfulness and gratitude. You should be happy when they are happy and when your best friend is sad you should cheer them up and let them know that he or she has a best friend.

Q: What are the qualities of a great teacher?
A: Teach you well and they are supposed to tell you when you are doing something wrong and give feedback. And when you get feedback you should fix it quickly and not get mad. I think that a teacher should make sure she is teaching and that you know what you are doing wrong and what you are doing right and help you fix it if you get a bad grade.

Q: What is your favorite subject at school?
A:  My favorite subject at school [is reading], because I can read and reading helps me when I’m upset and when I need to calm down. So I read and it helps me because the words calm me down. I think YELLS has helped me with reading because when I get a word wrong they correct me and that’s good because when you get corrected you know next time not to do it.

Q: What are you interested in? What are your hobbies?
A: I’m interested in basketball. I actually play basketball with Coach T. and Moonan at YELLS. My nickname is “hoops.”

Q: What are some things that you want to get better at?
A:  I want to get better at math because even though I have improved with it, I still get confused by things like fractions. I still have a few days before my Milestones so I can ask my teacher questions about things I am confused about, like at the beginning of the year with rounding. My teacher helped me a lot with rounding numbers and now I am really good at it. I also want to get better at basketball because I like it.

Q: Is there anything you would like to say?
A: I am honored, and I am very happy. Thank you.