Checking In

Making A Difference

Lera Pool, 17, said Root 2 Rise demonstrated how difficult teaching can be. Even so, the experience convinced her to become an elementary teacher . In her first semester with Root 2 Rise, she learned to set boundaries. During her second semester “I learned how I affect kids, and know I make a difference.” She plans to attend college in North Carolina.

After a long shift at work, she recently received her $750 stipend from Denise Hanson. She will give $500 of it to her mother to cover damage from a traffic mishap, an outcome that didn’t diminish her praise for Root 2 Rise.

Quiet But Determined

Willow Wilson, 19, used her stipend to save for college. After attending Madison college for a year, she will attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and major in graphic design. “I’ve always been quiet and reserved,” she said, which prompted her to pay special attention to younger students who were also quiet. “They opened up and came up and asked me questions. It was nice seeing that.'“ Her mother noticed that she was “more mature and organized” from her experience in Root 2 Rise If her schedule had permitted, Wilson said she would eagerly have participated again, “even without the stipend.”