Left to right: Kellie Askew with Meagan Edwards, YES Prep Head of Schools,
Dr. Andrea Link, ASFHG Executive Director, and Ariana Martinez,
Kellie's site mentor, during a session of Explore Club.
What drew you to the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF)?
What drew me to ASF was the emphasis on empowering the people. I say that because I was involved in many service opportunities before where, of course, we would serve the community, but there was a big lack on the empowerment part, and it felt like I was just putting a bandaid on situations that needed surgery.
Why did you choose YES Prep Public Schools as your project site?
It goes into the same reason why I picked the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. If you read the YES Prep mission statement, their mission is to empower Houston students to succeed in college and pursue lives of opportunity, which is ultimately aligned with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and my goal to empower students. It was a perfect fit.
Kellie reviews an Explore Club activity sheet with a YES Prep
student. During these sessions, Kellie and the students have
conversations regarding their future careers and interests.
What is the goal of your project?
The original goal was to inspire 20 students to pursue a career in health-related careers, but specifically dentistry. Right now, I’ve already surpassed that goal; we’re already at 32 kids having picked a career, and we’re only halfway through.
How are you achieving this goal?
It started as 6 weekly workshops, but it got extended to 10 workshops. In those 10, we focus on students exploring different careers. They hear from people; we grabbed medical students, social work students, and more from ASF. Each week is a different workshop, but I think the variety and goal of these workshops is to help students expand their minds into what’s possible. Moving forward, I want to bring in some pre-med and pre-health students because their experience in undergrad is nearer in the future to the YES Prep students.
A panel of four health professionals speaking at an Explore Club session.
How did you approach the project and connecting with the students?
That one was all about immersion. When I first got there, the students were quiet; they were a little hesitant because they didn’t know me, and I didn’t know them. Really putting myself out there and being vulnerable first was important. I started by telling them about my journey and who I was in high school. Talking to kids one-on-one, I found, was probably the best way to get immersed into their world. They want to talk, but all it takes is to ask the right questions.
What’s been a big takeaway or impact on you from this experience so far?
For me, my biggest takeaway has been the importance of planning out the details in advance. The logic model and project description plan we did at the beginning of the Fellowship really helped guide me throughout the year. Planning it out was the hardest part because that’s a weak spot for me. I just have an idea and go for it, but my ASF mentor, Jacquita Johnson, really pushed me to stretch my limits and get better at the planning aspect. Now that I know what’s supposed to happen with my project, it’s okay if we go outside of that because we still have the major plan to fall back into.
Upon completion of the Explore Club, Kellie throws a graduation for the
students to celebrate the knowledge they've gained and commitments
they've made to achieve their goals.
Is there a special story you’d like to share from your project?
I’d like to tell a story from my first session and how I felt versus what happened. When I got there, you remember, I said they were hesitant and didn’t really know who I was, so I was getting a lot of blank stares, and the crowd was quiet. I was discouraged, honestly, because the students were much quieter than I expected; they didn’t ask many questions, and I couldn’t gauge their interest. Later that same night, I got an email from Ms. Martinez, who’s my site mentor, and she talked about how after I left, the kids were talking to her about how excited and grateful they were about the club, and they even wanted to invite their friends. There were more students who wanted to join the club, but the room was at capacity, so we had to cut off the marker at 32. The main point of that story for me was to not get discouraged by the blank stares because you are making an impact on someone. It might not show right there, but it’s happening.
Is there anything else that you would like to share?
Thank you to the team at the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for the work you do. I feel like I have grown from this, and I’m growing as a leader because of this, so I’m thankful for the opportunity.
About Kellie:
Kellie Askew is a first-year Dental student at UTHealth Houston. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Being a long way from home, he enjoys fitness, watching sports, and exploring all the food Houston has to offer. As an ASF Fellow, Kellie started a new project in collaboration with YES Prep Public Schools. He is addressing the medical field's diversity gap by hosting career exploration workshops at Yes Prep Public Schools, chosen for their mission to empower all Houston students to succeed. Increasing diversity amongst medical professionals will improve access to care, cultural competence, health equity, and workforce representation. These workshops aim to empower students to pursue doctoral degrees or other careers of interest. Representation is crucial; meeting minority doctoral students from similar backgrounds helps students feel capable of achieving similar success.
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