Anyone who works with inner city kids frequently hears these kinds of responses when asking children what they want to be when they grow up. At Granny’s House, however, we’ve started hearing different responses from kids:
“I plan to be a doctor… a teacher… a fashion designer… a paralegal…”
When we hear these kinds of desires, we take advantage of opportunities to connect Granny’s House kids with mentors whose professions mirror their own educational and career aspirations. We recently arranged for two Granny’s House kids to spend time with mentors at Stephens College and the Barton Law Firm.
Seventeen-year-old Vernita is interested in fashion design so we jumped at the chance to introduce her to Monica McMurray, Dean of Stephen’s College Fashion Department. Dean McMurry gave us a tour of the department and Stephens’ world-famous Historic Costume Collection. Vernita learned about the rigors of fashion design school and the real cost of combining a love for fashion with educational excellence.
She learned about the transition from “student designer” to professional “fashion designer” as she sat in on a session with senior students and fashion designer Camille Palmer, a Stephens alumni who now designs for GAP Clothing. In the midst of all those creative minds, bolts of glitzy fabrics, and too many dress forms to count, we had to keep reminding ourselves that we WERE NOT on the set of Bravo TV’s“Project Runway!”
Recently, fourteen-year-old Mary extensively researched the path to becoming a paralegal. After searching out the educational requirements, the accreditation process, and then designing a professional-looking business card, Mary spent the afternoon with Elaine Asmus, who has been a paralegal at the Barton Law Firm here in Columbia for more than a decade. After their two-hour visit, Mary could more easily envision the pathway that leads to becoming a successful paralegal.
At Granny’s House, it’s a joy to see the kids’ faith and their lives blossoming with tokens of God’s kindness and favor as we walk alsongside them. We know that one day, many of these precious kids will, indeed, say, “Because of God’s help, I completed my paralegal training… I got my degree in fashion design... I’m a doctor… a school teacher.” -Granny Pam
