In the heart of Hayward, you will find Brenkwitz Alternative High School, where Seneca has been partnering with Hayward Unified School District for the past 11 years to provide a counseling enriched classroom for students who need an alternative path to realizing their graduation dreams. The program blends individualized academics focused on credit recovery and career readiness with a specially trained Seneca mental health team that works closely with each student to boost attendance, participation, wholistic mental health, positive community connections, and the concrete skills needed to prepare for college and careers.
On any given day, you’ll find the Brenkwitz team hosting career fairs, leading therapy and art groups, working with clients on college applications or job interview skills, and helping their students find the interests and passions that bring them joy. Over the past seven school years, the team has supported sixty-nine students who first arrived at Brenkwitz – whom were credit deficient and unsure of their ability to graduate from high school – eventually walk across the graduation stage and earn their diploma.
This year, the Brenkwitz team is piloting a new Student Voices project to capture the inspiring stories of the students who graduate from their program and share their advice and lessons learned with future students. Our first graduate of the 2021/2022 school year, whom we’ll call M, sat down with Brenkwitz classroom therapist, Rachel Williams, to reflect on her journey with us. The transcript of this conversation is shared with permission below.
This year, the Brenkwitz team is piloting a new Student Voices project to capture the inspiring stories of the students who graduate from their program and share their advice and lessons learned with future students. Our first graduate of the 2021/2022 school year, whom we’ll call M, sat down with Brenkwitz classroom therapist, Rachel Williams, to reflect on her journey with us. The transcript of this conversation is shared with permission below.
Rachel: “What have you learned about yourself during your time in school?”
M: “I’ve learned a lot about my personal strengths in school. I’ve figured out how capable I am of controlling my future and doing whatever I want to do in life.”
Rachel: “What are some ways you can see your own growth?”
M: “Some ways I can see my personal growth is that I am able to keep positive relationships and have fun in a school environment.”
Rachel: “What have you gotten out of school?”
M: “What I’ve gotten out of school is a lot of good relationships and education on things that aren’t taught in normal classroom settings.”
Rachel: “Like what?”
M: “Like how to work on your anxiety in a classroom and how to speak up for yourself.”
Rachel: “When you look back, do you think you are able to do that more now than you used to?”
M: “Yes, I do it more frequently and without thinking about it.”
Rachel: “Wow, that’s big. How do you think you’ve been able to do that?”
M: “With the help of the teachers and the counselors and the therapists.”
Rachel: “What’s different now than when you first started in classrooms with more support?”
M: “When I first started, I didn’t want to talk to anybody or do anything. Now I am more engaging and able to listen more to the adults around me.”
Rachel: “What do you think changed?”
M: “My desire to get a better education and better myself.”
Rachel: “What does graduating high school mean to you?”
M: “Graduating high school is a huge accomplishment for me, because there was a point in time where I didn’t want to graduate, and I never thought I was going to make it this far. It inspires me to keep moving on in life and just take one thing at a time.”
Rachel: “What would you say to kids in the future who might join a class like ours?”
M: “What I would say to kids in the future would be that it’s ok to accept help and it’s ok to be in a classroom that is different from everyone else because you will have a lot of fun experiences, and meaningful experiences.”
Rachel: “What are your aspirations beyond high school?”
M: “I want to be a person who can make a difference in someone else’s life, and I want to go on to college and experiment about what I can do for a career. I want to start at a two-year college and find out what I want to do then, then go on to school to do whatever I need to do to get that career that I want.”
Rachel: “That’s a good plan. Any final words of reflection or encouragement or wisdom to share?
M: “Just don’t give up no matter how hard it gets.”
Rachel: “I think that says it all.”
M: “I’ve learned a lot about my personal strengths in school. I’ve figured out how capable I am of controlling my future and doing whatever I want to do in life.”
Rachel: “What are some ways you can see your own growth?”
M: “Some ways I can see my personal growth is that I am able to keep positive relationships and have fun in a school environment.”
Rachel: “What have you gotten out of school?”
M: “What I’ve gotten out of school is a lot of good relationships and education on things that aren’t taught in normal classroom settings.”
Rachel: “Like what?”
M: “Like how to work on your anxiety in a classroom and how to speak up for yourself.”
Rachel: “When you look back, do you think you are able to do that more now than you used to?”
M: “Yes, I do it more frequently and without thinking about it.”
Rachel: “Wow, that’s big. How do you think you’ve been able to do that?”
M: “With the help of the teachers and the counselors and the therapists.”
Rachel: “What’s different now than when you first started in classrooms with more support?”
M: “When I first started, I didn’t want to talk to anybody or do anything. Now I am more engaging and able to listen more to the adults around me.”
Rachel: “What do you think changed?”
M: “My desire to get a better education and better myself.”
Rachel: “What does graduating high school mean to you?”
M: “Graduating high school is a huge accomplishment for me, because there was a point in time where I didn’t want to graduate, and I never thought I was going to make it this far. It inspires me to keep moving on in life and just take one thing at a time.”
Rachel: “What would you say to kids in the future who might join a class like ours?”
M: “What I would say to kids in the future would be that it’s ok to accept help and it’s ok to be in a classroom that is different from everyone else because you will have a lot of fun experiences, and meaningful experiences.”
Rachel: “What are your aspirations beyond high school?”
M: “I want to be a person who can make a difference in someone else’s life, and I want to go on to college and experiment about what I can do for a career. I want to start at a two-year college and find out what I want to do then, then go on to school to do whatever I need to do to get that career that I want.”
Rachel: “That’s a good plan. Any final words of reflection or encouragement or wisdom to share?
M: “Just don’t give up no matter how hard it gets.”
Rachel: “I think that says it all.”
Blog Post Written By: Danielle Vanaman, MAC SELPA Program Director
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