Our Writing Program has proven results. For example, when George Washington University and American University conducted an evaluation for the 2013-14 school year, they found that the unit improved students’ grade on the written essay section by an average 4.8 percentage points. Eighty percent of students said the unit improved their writing skills and 84 percent said it helped them know how to research information.
Those are the numbers, but what about the student stories?
Matt Kaufax was an OWEd Student Ambassador at Edison High School when he was in Grade 11. He chose to write his Reflections essay about animal cruelty, focusing on the value of adopting shelter animals. Inspired by his research on the topic, he volunteered at an Alexandria shelter in high school and began fostering kittens. His family eventually adopted two of them.
“The OWEd experience is a very empowering program for the students. It doesn’t matter if the student is a high or middle achiever, when they put their passion on paper a different side of them comes out,” his mother Tammy Kaufax said when reflecting on the value of OWEd. For her son specifically, she said it helped him become a better writer and speaker and explore his passion in a deeper way.
It also helped him in a very tangible way. Matt included his involvement with OWEd on his college application and resume. Today he is a student at Syracuse University in New York.
When we surveyed a handful of our Student Ambassador alumni, they shared how the program had positively impacted their lives.
“It helped me see what career field I wanted to go into,” wrote Shaneka Speight, a 2009 Student Ambassador who is now at Delaware State University majoring in Mass Communications.
“Being a Student Ambassador gave me the confidence to continue writing and submitting pieces for publication. Even though I was not a part of the school newspaper I was able to publish as a guest writer. It gave me the confidence to draft a proposal to present at the National Conference on Peer-Tutor Writing, a conference predominately attended by college level writing tutors, and be selected. Being an Ambassador has empowered my writing,” 2011 Student Ambassador Andre Sanabia told us. He is now a college student at the University of Virginia.
“I am currently a senior and need to write a 15 page persuasive paper. The skills I learned on how to write a persuasive essay has helped me with this,” wrote Shannon MacKenzie, a 2013 Student Ambassador attending School Without Walls.
“Yes, it gave me confidence in my writing abilities. I've since done very well on writing assignments throughout college,” Sahnun Mohamud, a 2010 Student Ambassador told us. He is now a college student at the College of William and Mary.
“I'm grateful for the experience you've given me as an Ambassador, I never would have dreamed of having my story shared and read so widely before. It's been a fun ride and I’m looking forward to staying connected,” Sahnun told us at the end of his survey.
We are so grateful for our amazing students and look forward to keeping in touch with our alumni and working with a new set of Student Ambassadors in just a few months.