The Keen Ones Project

05/19/2022

This week, Grinnell Middle School students can take a TKOP journal to complete over the summer. The journal provides guided activities about values, identities, self-advocacy, equity, college matriculation, and wellness.

If the students complete a journal, they can reach out to us for a back to school gift bag next academic year 🥳

Photos of the journal to come! For now, check out this video we created to introduce our journal to GMS students!

Complete your TKOP journal this summer for a free gift bag :)

12/07/2021

Pictures of our lovely TKOP members this semester❤️⁣
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Swipe ⏩⏩ to see some of the crafts we created at our end of semester extravaganza💃🏻⁣
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Everyone’s been working hard to bring educational college resources to our Grinnell community💪🏻🙌🏻📝⁣
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Stay tuned for more exciting things to come next semester!⁣
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11/28/2021

We LOVED our first ever summer of TKOP mentorship!⁣
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We partnered with BGCT Topeka last summer to mentor 11-14 year olds whose identities are underrepresented in higher education, and we had a blast!!! Swipe to see some of their practice essays ➡️➡️⁣
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We are so proud of all of the BGCT youth who completed our program. We are assured that when these youth are given proper representation in powerful institutions, they will change the world!!! ⁣
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Looking forward to the many more mentoring programs and new projects to come!!! ⁣
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09/02/2021

Come to our first meeting this Saturday, 09/04, 2-3:00 pm, in HSSC*A1241.

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08/28/2021

Hello everyone!

I’m Hyein and I am from South Korea. My family immigrated to the US six years ago. I am a third year student at Grinnell College majoring in Sociology and Economics. I am also one of the co-founders of DICE (Diversity and Inclusivity Club of Economics) and will be working as a econ tutor and a research assistant.

I joined TKOP around the fall semester of second year when I was taking a sociology course on race, class, and inequality. After taking the course I felt a strong urge to do what I can to address structural racism. I found out that Jazmin, who had taken the same class, had founded TKOP. I resonated very strongly with the idea that one’s path to higher education is determined early on and that there is a need to provide resources to those in marginalized communities as early as from middle school.

As the eldest child of the immigrant family that has recently come to the US, I did not have much resources nor anyone’s guidance on how to navigate the college application process, or just the US school system in general. I was luckily contacted by Matriculate, an organization that connects students with a college mentor who provides guidance and advice to navigate the college application process. With Matriculate, I learned about Questbridge and eventually got to apply to Grinnell College.

I believe TKOP aims to fill in the gap that is made from current mentorship programs that work with high school students and truly address the inequitable system. I hope to see TKOP grow and reach more students and their lives.

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08/15/2021

Hello!

I’m Jemzy and am from Abuja, Nigeria. I am a rising second year Computer science and Mathematics major at Grinnell College.

I joined TKOP last spring of my first year after talking with Andrea about TKOP’s goals and plans. As an international student, I had an idea of how hard the application process can be and it was great to know that I could help others have a better process.

I look forward to the many things TKOP is going to achieve and am excited I can be a part of TKOP.

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08/04/2021

Hello!

My name is Jivyaa and I am from Indore, India! I am a rising junior at Grinnell College and my majors are Economics and Chinese.

I joined the TKOP team because it aims to resolve the very issues that I myself faced during my high school years. My wish to study abroad was not well received and I often found myself without any idea on how to proceed with applications, test prep, essay writing, etc. I had to learn about everything using the bear minimum and struggled with keeping up with peers who had plenty of resources and knowledge. I want every student to continue dreaming of studying and achieving new milestones, and not be hurdled by lack of resources. That is why I joined TKOP.

I am a relatively new member in the TKOP team and have worked on some of the material in the journal and participated in the curriculum design and brainstorming sessions for activity ideas for you guys! I hope you are having a lot of fun with those and I am very excited for everything you guys will learn with TKOP!

I hope that your time with TKOP will be as enriching and fun as it was for me! I am sure that after working with us, you will be able to open several doors that will lead you to wonderful opportunities, goals and experiences!

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07/27/2021

Hi!

I’m Sarah, and I am a third year from Davis, California studying Psychology, American studies, and digital studies.

I joined TKOP my first year after engaging in conversations with Jazmin in our education course about factors impacting access to college and the potential for mentorship to expose students to new paths after high school.

During the past school year, I mainly worked on designing material and curriculum for our mentee journals and social media platforms. It has made me so happy to see how our team’s work and ideas developed from our first meeting to this summer’s mentorship program, and I’m looking forward to seeing how TKOP continues to grow this school year!

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07/18/2021

Hi!

I’m Sneha, and I’m from Kathmandu, Nepal. At Grinnell, I’m a third year Economics major with a Statistics concentration. This summer, I’m in Topeka, Kansas helping Jazmin with the first ever TKOP mentorship.

First year of college, Jazmin and I were roommates, and we pioneered TKOP when we started to talk about inequity in access to education, and all the people that she and I knew who wouldn’t even have a chance at receiving the kind of education we had at Grinnell.

Since the Spring of 2020, TKOP has grown so much from a room full of ideas to curriculums, interactive journals, and most exciting of all–middle schoolers who proudly name prestigious institutions as their future homes.

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07/10/2021

Hey, everyone!

I’m Anna and I’m from Des Moines, Iowa. I’m a second year at Grinnell College with a Gender Studies and Political Science double major. I joined TKOP in the fall of 2020 and I’m so glad I got involved!

I’ve been working with the curriculum and equity teams on the project, developing a syllabus and ensuring it is fair in addressing issues commonly faced in the college application process.

I got involved in the first place last fall because I believe strongly in a person’s right to access prestigious higher education. I remember how confusing and challenging applying for colleges was for me and I hope to make it easier for others through TKOP.

I’ve loved working on getting this organization off the ground for the past several months and I’m so excited to start implementing it this summer! I hope it continues to grow and really makes a difference in students’ lives.

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07/02/2021

Hi everyone!

My name is Andrea and I come from a city called San Pedro Sula in Honduras. I’m a Psychology major and Neuroscience concentrator.

I joined TKOP last fall during my first year at Grinnell, and it has been a fantastic time. I’ve been working on the curriculum and journal development for this summer’s batch of mentoring sessions, specifically focusing on topics and resources surrounding mental health and wellness through the college admissions process.

As an international student, I was always aware of the disadvantages I had to deal with during the admissions process. Because of this, I’m more than glad to be part of a team that wants to aid an underrepresented population enter the world of prestigious higher education.

I am also glad to be sharing mental help resources since self-care and wellness were so important to me through the emotionally draining process of college applications.

I am excited to see TKOP grow and hopefully I can implement the program in my home country sometime in the future.

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