Genesis Paulino
Bates College![](https://compact.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Genesis_Photo.jpg)
Genesis Paulino, a junior at Bates College, is deeply committed to making sure that all youth have access to an excellent education. She sees educational opportunity as the way to bring about positive societal change. Genesis has been a devoted and tireless leader in the Lewiston community, tutoring in the America Reads and Counts program; volunteering as a teacher's assistant in the local public schools; and mentoring teens through New Beginnings, an agency that serves youth in crisis. In the summers she has worked at Camp Uncommon in Waterville, Maine, mentoring and encouraging campers to become more independent, thoughtful, curious and brave. Genesis believes that all children will become resilient adults if provided with enriched educational opportunity and the right mentors. Education is the career path Genesis is choosing to bring about the changes she envisions for this country.
Personal Statement
The youth are one of the most important age groups that make up society today. Their minds are like sponges that absorb everything that’s around them. The majority of their lives are spent in the classroom. As we all know not all children have access to a quality and equitable education. Any attempt to address the root causes of social issues starts with seeing them through the lens of education. What we put into our youth is what we get out from them years later. If the youth are given an enriched education and the resources to have access to the right mentors in their lives, a young person will have the power to change the future. My dedication to and passion for working with youth come from working with urban kids in the classroom setting at Longley Elementary School. They also come from working at Camp Uncommon that strives for students success by giving low income city kids the access to mentors. In the future I see myself inspiring youth through education and providing them with a second chance when society fails them. It’s our duty to give youth the tools for a great start for a successful future.