38 JUNE 2020 By Jennifer Marshall Kathryn Chamberlin, a 2015 Arcadia High School graduate, has created a program that provides guidance and support to students who plan to attend college. The Arcadia High Alumni Mentorship Program was established with the help of Chamberlin’s friends Emma Schlenker, Rae Aaron and Nicole Mitchell. When COVID-19 closed colleges and universities and students returned home, Chamberlin realized that she and her friends were all in the same place and sharing similar experiences. “My friend’s sister is a senior at Arcadia,” Chamberlin said, “and she’s going through the whole turmoil of what COVID-19 has done to her final year of high school. If I were a senior, I’d be devastated and frightened for the future. You’ve already had your senior year taken away, and you worry that your freshman year of college won’t be what you’ve anticipated. So I started a program to help them to get excited about their futures.” Chamberlin also wants students to understand that what comes after high school is so much more exciting and valuable in the grand scheme of their lives. A senior at ASU, she is studying electrical engineering and will earn her master’s in 2021. “While at ASU,” Chamberlin said, “I have noticed a lot of freshman coming to college with unrealistic expectations about what college and college life is all about and what their specific degree entails.” In March, she began talking with Arcadia High administration about implementing her ideas for the mentorship program. The objective is to connect current students with Arcadia graduates to talk about what it is like to be a college student and earn a particular degree. “Alu m ni and current students are paired up based on similar interests, e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r activities, colleges or careers,” Chamberlin said. The alumni can then give advice and offer real-world examples of what it is like to attend a particular college or work in a given field. “These alumni provide mentorship and inspiration for students to move forward,” Chamberlin said. From business to the arts to STEM, alumni hail from careers across the professional spectrum, and they can be college students, recent grads working in their field, or they may still be pursuing their education at the graduate level. Right now, the program has over 75 participants. Chamberlin said the program works and has a sustainable future because it is entirely virtual. Students and their mentors connect whenever they want and for as long as they wish using communication tools such as text, email, Zoom and Instagram. “The Mentorship Program is open to all age groups at Arcadia,” Chamberlin said. “We plan to target younger students to help them start thinking about their future, so they aren’t frantically trying to make decisions their senior year.” Currently, Chamberlin is working with one of the assistant principals to see how the program can become a long-term stable resource at Arcadia. Arcadia graduate establishes mentorship program By Jennifer Marshall Congratulations to Arcadia High junior Luke Maledon for earning a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. Like the SAT, the ACT (American College Testing) is a standardized test that is used as a factor in college admissions. The ACT was established in 1959 and tests four academic areas: English, math, reading and science. There is also an optional writing section for those students who elect to complete it. The highest score for the ACT is 36, and according to The Washington Post , the average ACT composite score for 2019 was 20.7. “Most colleges require students to take either the SAT or ACT,” Luke said. “Earning the highest score is pretty cool, actually, and it will help me get into whatever college I choose to apply to.” “He is a pretty amazing kid. I am very proud of him,” s a i d M i c h a e l Maledon, Luke’s father. “Believe it or not, he’s probably even more talented with his musical and film hobbies.” “Earning a perfect score is indicative of many skills, like the ability to think logically, problem solve and be creative,” said Arcadia High Principal Todd Stevens. “Luke has a skill set that is few and far between. We have many bright and talented students, and his achievement was exceptional even by the high measures we have here at Arcadia.” As for test preparation and anxiety, Luke said, “I didn’t prepare for the ACT or study for it. I’m a good test taker,” he said. “I just showed up at Arcadia High and took it.” Luke’s mom Lesley agrees that her son has excellent test-taking skills. “Luke looks for context clues and what makes sense. He’s also really good at guessing and taking standardized tests. On test day, he wasn’t stressed; he just walked in calm and cool and did his best.” The Princeton Review, a popular scholastic testing prep company, states that “a score of 23 on the ACT is above the current national average and will make you a strong applicant at many universities. The higher your ACT score, the more options are open to you.” “I’m going to attend college,” Luke said, “I just don’t know where right now.” “Luke has always been a creative and artistic soul,” Lesley said. “He likes to draw, and he’s self-taught on the guitar, the piano and the drums. He has a great imagination and a creative mind, and I see him pursuing some creative profession.” And while he has not yet settled on a specific career path, Luke does enjoy watching movies, listening to music, and he regularly plays guitar with his friends. AHS junior achieves top score on the ACT Kathryn Chamberlin Luke Maledon Christ Lutheran School Preschool - Grade 8 • www.clsphx.org LC-MS 3901 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix | www.cclphoenix.org | (602) 955-4830 LOVE GROW SERVE WORSHIP ONLINE Sunday @ 9:30am FB Live or CHRISTCHURCHPHX.ONLINE.CHURCH Representing students of Arizona universities, community colleges and high schools, as well as other emerging Arizona artists since 1993. 4130 n marshall way . scottsdale . 480.946.5076 Check out the NEW Art One Show! Weekly Local and Student Artist Interview Series artonegalleryinc.com • facebook.com/artonegalleryinc Scan to see the  rst Art One Show