Name: Angela Delfine
Breakthrough Program: Summerbridge Pittsburgh
Subject Teaching: 8th Grade Spanish
School Attending/Year: Saint Vincent College 2013

Summerbridge Pittsburgh has really allowed me to grow as a future educator, mentor, and leader. The Breakthrough Collaborative program provided practice with lesson planning, teaching strategies, classroom management techniques, and a range of other skills that will aid my future career as an educator. I absolutely cannot wait to incorporate these skills into the education courses I will be taking at Saint Vincent College this fall. I will be involved in a class called “Step Up,” which involves teaching an elective-type course to younger students every Friday during the semester. I’m so pumped!

Breakthrough has also allowed me to gain confidence in my mentoring skills. Unlike other teaching experiences, Breakthrough provides teachers with additional opportunities to reach out to students on the playground and in other activities throughout the day. One of the students in my “Express Yourself!” art mini-course would chat with me about creative and innovative project ideas. I was legitimately impressed by the openness and deep interest he expressed in the class projects. I wanted my course to be an opening for students who were possibly bottling up internal feelings or coping with difficult life situations. I really feel like my class impacted his life. This is why I want to be an educator. It is so rewarding to know that I have positively affected the life of a student.

I feel like my leadership abilities have also grown throughout the duration of Summerbridge. It’s fair to say that each and every Breakthrough teacher is required to be a leader during the program. It takes a special individual to impact a student’s life by serving as a positive role model. I know that the positive influence of all Breakthrough teachers will impact the students to strive toward academic success and personal goals later in life.

Although ITTI training seems like a million years ago, I am now fully aware of the strong, positive influence that the brief 8 week Breakthrough program holds over the teachers and students. I know that the memories from this summer will hold a special place in my heart as I continue into the remainder of college and my future teaching career. It has truly been a privilege to be a member of the Breakthrough family.