Luc & Abdul are giving back through Americorps

November 2015

We’re excited to welcome two Starfinder alumni as Coach Across America volunteers for the 2015-16 program year! They have started the year recruiting high school students from across the Philadelphia area to the Senior Leaders Program, then they will serve as coaches and mentors to our Senior Leaders participants.

Luc Toussaint graduated from Starfinder in 2011. This spring he will graduate from West Chester University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

Why did you decide to be a CAA?
I want to work with kids in the future as a teacher or counselor. This experience will give me a head start for my career. Also just for the chance to be at Starfinder again. Being here is just great!

What do you hope to accomplish this year as a CAA?
I want to serve as a role model for the Senior Leaders, to show them there are so many different paths they can go down in the future and to help them realize not everything is going to work out perfectly, and that’s ok. I want to be able to share my story to give them something to relate to.

What challenges do you think you will face during your year of service?
I’ve never worked with high school aged kids. I did work as a summer camp coach but that was with younger kids. I think it will be a balancing act to work with kids so close to my age but it’s good because I can relate to them.

abdul student story

Abdul Sule graduated from Starfinder in 2015. This fall he became a freshman at Bryn Athyn College.

Why did you decide to be a CAA?
Being a coach is a way for me to give back to Starfinder.

What do you hope to accomplish this year as a CAA?
I want to affect kids’ lives in a positive way. I want to be someone that the kids can look up to.

What challenges do you think you will face during your year of service?
The challenges will be in the beginning, as I’m a recent graduate of Starfinder. It’ll be getting everyone to respect me as a coach and setting those boundaries.