A Student Ambassador and camp counselor talks bridging the gap between two organizations she calls home at USC.
When her third grade campers asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, Kai “Minute Maid” MacLean answered, “A mom!” without hesitation. As a counselor for USC Troy Camp, Minute Maid is among the 130 Trojans who organize and host a week-long summer camp for 200 third through fifth graders. And although she’s a member of the Admission Center, Intervarsity Bible Study, Los Angeles Community Impact, USC Helenes and Residential Education, it’s the kids of South Central that make her USC experience memorable.
Minute Maid admits, she’s a little young to be a mom, and she’s not in any hurry. In the meantime, she’s more than grateful to spend her time tutoring, mentoring and learning from her cabin of ten girls. Because campus tours are often only possible for a remote socioeconomic class, she finds it tiresome to interact with families that visit USC, especially after nights spent with her girls. She was initially disheartened by the stark contrast in the educational mindset of her guests and her students, but she has since found a renewed purpose in both her community service work and her on-campus job.
“If I can take the experiences I have in Troy Camp and share them with prospective students, I can get them excited about making an impact; if I can take the knowledge about the application process I learn in the AC and share that with my campers, I can get them thinking about the possibility of a brighter future.”
These kids have a shot. All you have to do is tell them it’s possible.
With all 50 states and over 30 different countries represented in the student body, USC certainly attracts applicants from all over. But Minute Maid wants people to know that Foshay Learning Center, just a mile from campus down Vermont Avenue, was the second most represented public high school in the 2018 application cycle. 19 Foshay students enrolled for the fall, which beats out the 12 students coming from Harvard-Westlake, a private school in North Hollywood.
Minute Maid insists, “These kids have a shot. All you have to do is tell them it’s possible.” With her final year at USC quickly approaching, she’s chosen to dedicate her remaining time to Tommy’s Tours—the volunteer branch of the Admission Center. These Volun-tour guides are tasked with developing a child-friendly script to use with elementary school groups interested in visiting campus. “With Tommy’s Tours, we’ll actually be able to connect with the kids, instead of just feeding them useless facts and scary numbers,” notes Minute Maid.
If children and equal opportunities for education are some of your passions, send her an email at jcmaclea@usc.edu. Share your ideas on how to make our office more prepared to enact change in the community; apply to make it happen.