Vision Days is a school-wide effort to recruit high school students from rural and underrepresented areas in Alabama. It is an opportunity to help students learn more about college and ask any questions they may have. While working with Vison Days, I am in charge of guiding students around campus and showing them the resources that are designed to help them succeed, as well as answering any questions they may have. While working with these students, I have realized that this is a cause that I am very passionate about. I enjoy helping young adults and mentoring them, so that they do not make the same mistakes I did. Because I am a first-generation college student, I wish that I had someone growing up that had been there and done that, someone who could help me figure out my next path. I, as a first-generation college student, had to figure it all out by myself. This allows me to understand the pressure and confusion that these students may be feeling about college.

Vision Days pairs the high school students with a college student, so that they can hear real life stories. Additionally, it is a lot easier to talk to someone closer to your age, so they are more likely to ask their questions. When they ask their questions, I like to be transparent with them and let them know the best way to get where they want to go. I genuinely want all students to know that they can find a home at whichever school they decide to go to or whichever path they decide to take after high school. The opportunities that they have in front of them are endless, and I want every single one of them to know that. I wish I started younger. I wish I did things differently, but that is why I am here, so that they can learn from my mistakes. I want them to know that it may seem difficult right now, but it will only get better. They, too, can be the first to go to college in their family. They should not let a little obstacle deter them from reaching their dreams. They have so much potential, and I love being the one to let them know that. I want them to seize the opportunity in front of them. However, you cannot seize an opportunity you are not aware of, and that is why Vision Days is so important.

Vision Days is such a rewarding opportunity for both the students and the workers involved. Everyone is learning and everyone wants what is best for each other. It gives great satisfaction when you are able to just simply give back and help others.

“I think workshops like this are just ways to unite the university community [to] make students aware of other things that are happening and helps spawn their interest in different things in kind of an interdisciplinary way,” said Dr. Jeff Gray, professor of computer science and director of the Randall Research Scholars Program.

Gray is one of several faculty members who volunteered with SEA. Held annually during July, the one-week residential camp provides faculty unique opportunities to connect with rising sophomore and junior high school students through teaching concepts and application of STEM.

“I like being able to take the technical stuff I have and make it approachable for high school students to come and see it and to get them interested and engaged,” said Dr. Alex Hainen, associate professor in the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering.

The goal of the camp is for high schoolers to develop their entrepreneurship skills in the form of a group project by participating in hands-on workshops and listening to experts in the field.

Elizabeth Jernigan, instructor of marketing, guides students through their group projects, helping them to understand where entrepreneurship meets STEM.

“I like working with them,” Jernigan said. “It has kind of segued into some other things, like this past spring a handful of our students and I went down to Greensboro High School once a week, and we worked with them on innovation projects. Then they got to come visit campus in April, so it’s been fun.”

SEA concluded with a showcase celebration on July 15 where students presented their projects to the community. The two winning teams were from Brookwood High School and Central High School of Phenix City. Each team received $1,000 in grant funding for their schools to implement their projects.

The 28 participating students were nominated by their respective schools and represented Amelia L. Johnson High School, Bibb County High School, Brookwood High School, G.W. Carver High School, Hillcrest High School, Holt High School, Northside High School, Paul W. Bryant High School, Sipsey Valley High School, Valiant Cross Academy, Sumter Central High School, Central High School of Tuscaloosa and Central High of Phenix City.

Housed in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP), HomeFirst has served more than 170 individuals and families on the path to homeownership, thanks in part to its 48 volunteer coaches over the life of the program.

James Renshaw, program coordinator for programs and partnerships for community engagement at CCBP, has worked with HomeFirst since he was a student in fall 2021.

“One of my professors emailed out a list of organizations and programs that were accepting volunteers,” he said. “HomeFirst sounded the most relevant to what I was studying and the most interesting and impactful.”

The community aspect is what Renshaw likes best about HomeFirst, but as he transitioned from student to staff at UA, he noted the reciprocal benefits the program provides its coaches.

“While our focus is on community members and expanding the pool of eligible homeowners in our area, the coaches receive these same financial life skills,” he explained. “We also have coaches that are recent graduates and working professionals, but they are still volunteering and learning alongside the students.”

Education is, as Renshaw described, what UA does best, and the goal of HomeFirst is to expand the pool of eligible homeowners by improving financial capability.

“HomeFirst wants to educate community members and students in financial life skills that are often overlooked in traditional classrooms,” Renshaw said. “There are three main ways we help community members that go through the program — thorough financial education, one-on-one support and program referrals.”

Volunteer coaches meet with participants over three months to guide them through the curriculum, helping participants identify the obstacles blocking their way to purchasing a home and developing solutions. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Renshaw added that HomeFirst adapted its coaching sessions to a hybrid model where coaches can now provide the same financial education whether through Zoom or on campus, extending their reach toward eligible homeowners.

These efforts have not gone unnoticed as HomeFirst was recognized at the annual conference of the International Town and Gown Association (ITGA) with the 2022 ITGA Presidential Excellence Award.

“It was excellent for the program to receive the award and really shows how others value our work,” said Renshaw. “We believe that HomeFirst is an amazing program that can really make a huge difference in so many lives.”

“One of my goals when I came on the Board was to increase the housing availability in Greene County, so when this came along it fit right with that,” said Carolyn Branch, chairman of the Board for the Housing Authority of Greene County.

The retreat furthers volunteers’ efforts in the partnership between Greene County and UA HomeFirst.

Marie Butler, program coordinator for HomeFirst in Greene County, works with the coaches in Greene County and discussed how the partnership came about.

“Ms. [Anita] Lewis is from Greene County, and she brought her concerns that there wasn’t a housing program in the area that would provide housing finance awareness, so people in Greene County could afford safe and decent housing,” Butler said. “This program will allow the residents of Greene County to be able to have a home in Greene County. I know she doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“Living in Eutaw all my life, I realized that the housing situation was something that needed to be worked on. … Since 2005, that’s what I’ve been working on, trying to get more housing into Greene County,” said Anita Lewis, executive director at the Housing Authority of Greene County. “It’s just a passion of mine, really, and when Dr. [Nicole] Prewitt approached me about it [HomeFirst], I just jumped at it. It was like magic, and we’ve been working ever since.”

During the retreat, the sessions included mock interviews, coaching activities, presentations and panel discussions designed to help coaches build rapport with future homeowners.

“I’m learning the financial stability you need in order to be a homeowner,” said Mattie Strode, one of the volunteer coaches at the retreat. “I am a homeowner, but I didn’t know these things prior to owning my home. I look forward to helping someone else understand that they can become financially stable enough to be a homeowner because we want them to have sustainability.”

At the end, volunteers learned how they can extend UA’s coaching legacy as financial coaches who support and assist individuals’ and families’ goals of homeownership.

“I believe home is where the heart is,” Butler said. “What I like most about HomeFirst is that it provides financial wellness for participants on their path toward homeownership.”