Giving Back to the Community - with Beverly Dweck
Hi Beverly! Just to begin, tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Project Access.
Hi! My name is Beverly Dweck and I am from Brooklyn, NY. I am currently a sophomore at Barnard College of Columbia University and am planning on studying psychology or economics. My role at Project Access is US Program Director. This basically means that I run the US main and prep programs, where we help students from all over the world apply to the top universities in the US!
How was your journey to Columbia University, and how are you liking it so far?
When I visited Barnard and Columbia in my junior year of high school, I automatically knew I wanted to attend. I worked on my application to Barnard all summer, submitted it during the early decision round of applications, and was lucky enough to be accepted.
I love my school, and living in the heart of New York City while still having a campus and community is something really rare and unique to Columbia!
What is the usual process like for a ‘Mentor’ volunteering with PA?
Once a mentor signs up for Project Access and gets accepted, they are shortly paired with students who aspire to go to the school that they attend. For example, a mentor from Harvard will help students whose first choice university is Harvard apply!
Once paired, the mentor will meet with the mentee every two weeks and support their concerns regarding financial aid, and common app questions, as well as help with editing essays.
Once you are a mentor for some time, if you feel you want to impact Project Access even more, you can apply to be a team member - this is also how I became US Program Director!
What are the advantages of being a PA Mentor or Team Member? Are there any you particularly resonated with?
The feeling I had when I was accepted into my first choice college was unmatched - everything you work for throughout high school comes to fruition.
“I immediately knew when I had this feeling that I wanted to be a part of the reason other people experienced that feeling.”
Project Access allows you to give back to students like yourself who work extremely hard to get to the place that they are in. Furthermore, you get the ability to interact and build connections with people from all over the world, as well as fellow mentors from your college. This is also some amazing professional volunteer work that you can put on your resume!
What impact do education, mentorship and volunteering have? Particularly, in the US?
I know that I am lucky to study in the US, and I’m sure many other mentors feel the same. Project Access gives you the opportunity to provide that for other students and be a part of their story. Volunteering really helps put things into perspective and is a great way to donate some of your time to help others.
And lastly, what’s your favourite part of Project Access?
Project Access allowed me to find a community of passionate, intelligent, and driven people who dedicate their time to helping others. I’ve met people from all over the world, and continue to meet more every day. I love the joy students feel when they’re accepted into their dream school, and it is truly inspirational to see how hard these students work.
“My favourite part of Project Access is seeing the impact our work has on hundreds of high schoolers around the world.”
If you are considering applying, I would strongly recommend it because it is truly a rare and moving organisation which allows you to make a big difference in a short amount of time!
To explore more about mentoring with PA, click HERE!!