Student Spotlight: NyShanell Freeman

NyShanell Freeman is a 7th grader at Newberry Academy. This is her first year with Cabrini Connections, but her second with mentor Jessica Bearden. (They met at Cabrini Green Tutoring Program.) In school, NyShanell's favorite subjects are science and social studies because they are "easy" and "fun." That's a great combination!

In a couple years, NyShanell will be entering high school, and she would like to attend one of the best schools in the city: Walter Payton, Lane Tech, or Whitney Young. Ultimately she wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up, so, in college, she imagines herself studying business and art.

Indeed she has already begun to study art as a member of Cabrini Connections' Art Club, which is led by Jacqueline Shay and meets on Monday nights from 5:45-7:15. NyShanell likes Art Club because it gives her a chance to express herself. Art is her favorite hobby, but, unfortunately, it is not offered as a class or club at her school, so we're happy to fill the void. That's what our learning and enrichment activities are all about. You can keep up with the Art Club on their blog. Right now NyShanell is working on a wire sculpture of an octopus!

Art Club is not the only club NyShanell is in. She is also in Tech Club. People always tell her she's good with computers and in Tech Club she gets to strengthen that talent. Recently she learned how to use Photoshop, an advanced editing software for photographs. Check out the Tech Club blog to see what else they've accomplished.

NyShanell does her SVHATS every time she comes to tutoring and clubs, which has put her in the Top 5 on our leader board. We view SVHATS as a great behind-the-scenes communications tool and we are thankful to NyShanell for using it so frequently. She earns points with each entry, so down the line she will definitely be seeing some rewards for her commitment.

She also earns points for being on time to tutoring and bringing homework, which she almost always does. Jessica helps explain to her how to do her homework and breaks it down so it isn't as difficult to understand. In one of NyShanell's most challenging subjects, math, Jessica uses real life examples to aid with comprehension.

NyShanell has lived in Chicago all her life, but she would love to live in Los Angeles, New York, and/or Miami at some point. She has three little sisters, which means she has to be a role model and a mentor in her own household. Well, she certainly has a good example in Jessica and many of the other mentors at Cabrini Connections. Good luck with your studies, NyShanell. You're going to accomplish great things!