Think Together Students Score Big in Think Summer

Nearly 180 middle school youth from Sierra Vista, Olive and Jones Middle Schools in Baldwin Park Unified School District took a tour of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Students were given backstage access to the professional football stadium which hosts both the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers.

To cap the day, students got a surprise visit from Los Angeles Ram’s Wide Receiver, Puka Nacua. Site Program Manager Jasmine Gonzalez shared, “SoFi was an amazing experience, and we got to see our students’ smiles. We were able to meet a Rams player who spoke to our students and posed for pictures. He also provided encouraging words. Think Together provided such an amazing opportunity for our students to experience.”

Think Together middle school students from Rivera Middle School, STEAM Academy at Burke and North Park Academy of the Arts in El Rancho Unified School District were going for a hole-in-one at the four-day Tee It Up Janice Hahn Golf Initiative of Southeast Los Angeles girls’ golf clinic.

This initiative is designed to introduce the many benefits of golf to women who may not have had the chance to experience it; from physical fitness to personal and professional growth. The Latina Golfers Association provided instructors who coached students in the game of golf.

Over four days, students from each school rotated between three stations to learn basic golf skills. The first station taught students about chipping where students practiced this technique by chipping the ball into targets for accuracy.

At the second station, students honed their putting skills. They played a game that required them to gently hit the ball into hula hoops to score points. This made the students learn to be mindful of the force behind their putt so the ball wouldn’t go past the hula hoop and would stop inside.

The final station was on the driving range, which proved to be the most fun but the most difficult for students; even for students who had played golf before. STEAM Academy at Burke student, Casey, shared how she met the challenge on this particularly tricky station. She shared, “Always make sure your feet are aligned with the ball and always keep your eye on the ball.”

Sylvia Vela-Amaya, the ELOP Coordinator for El Rancho Unified School District, also attended the clinic and mentioned the impact these opportunities have on the students they fund. “They look forward to it after school. Our attendance is high. Our increased enrollment continues to grow at all the school sites, including our three middle schools.”

Finally, to wrap up the day on the green, students heard from guest speaker Dr. Monica Sanchez, Councilwoman of Pico Rivera, who shared that she hopes students find an interest in golf and the many benefits it can bring.

As part of Think Summer, Think Together high school students from Bassett High School in Bassett Unified School District headed to Dodger Stadium to attend a College & Career Accelerator workshop hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. The College & Career Accelerator initiative aims to expose high school and college students to college and career opportunities.

Students in attendance sat with USC College Advising Corps staff for small group discussions on topics ranging from strategies for succeeding in high school to tips for applying for college. Financial aid and managing tuition were also important subjects shared with the students to help set them up for success.

Attendees were treated to food, a Los Angeles Dodgers hat, a workbook for notes and responses and two free Dodger game tickets as a bonus for participating in the event.