Jemin Park, Dartmouth College

Through quiet persistence and a focus on excellence, Jemin Park has served as a model of student leadership and community engagement in his role as student director of Dartmouth’s SIBS program. Jemin is a neuroscience major and senior at Dartmouth and has served as the student director of the SIBS program the 2014-15 academic year. Since its launch more than 46 years ago, SIBS has served more than 1000 children through meaningful mentoring relationships and helped an equal number of Dartmouth undergraduates learn about the community outside the bounds of Hanover. SIBS is a one on one mentoring program modeled after the national Big Brother, Big Sister program. In his role as student director, Jemin is responsible for oversight and management of this program including recruiting, screening and training new mentors, monitoring existing matches and collaborating with partners in the community. This is often a tedious and thankless role that requires the ability to both think big picture and manage hundreds of small details. Jemin has embraced all aspects of this position and held fast to a belief in the important role of deep, one on one mentoring relationships for children.
-Philip Hanlon, President

Civic engagement has defined my experience at Dartmouth College and has enabled me to grow tremendously as a person. I have served as a Verbal Coach for Let’s Get Ready and taught SAT Critical Reading and Writing to low-income students at a local high school. Additionally, I mentored the students and informed them about the college application process. Currently, I serve as the Student Director for SIBS, which I joined as a Big Brother mentor during my junior year. SIBS matches student volunteers one-on-one with community children between the ages of 5 and 12, and the student volunteers serve as role models and provide support and stability to their little siblings. As Student Director, I have strived to impart the lesson of accountability to the student volunteers and have incorporated different events such as reflection events. I am certain that the communication and leadership skills that I have developed through my service activities will aid me tremendously for my future career and beyond.
-Jemin Park