[EdTalks] Helping Students Dream Big: Inside GirlUp GVL

What does it take for a student to truly thrive? While schools provide the foundation, a crucial layer of support often comes from outside the classroom walls. This episode explores the power of non-profit student support in Greenville, revealing how community organizations step in to fill the gaps, providing mentorship, resources, and life-changing opportunities. We sit down with Kimberly Mogan, the founder and Executive Director of the incredible organization GirlUp GVL, and Shakia, a student whose life was transformed by the program. They discuss the critical need for wraparound support to help students overcome barriers, develop essential life skills, and chart their own paths to success.

In this conversation, Kimberly Mogan shares her personal journey from a "rogue lady" helping a few girls to founding GirlUp GVL, an organization that now serves over 100 students annually. She details how the organization provides everything from SAT/ACT prep and driving lessons to internship programs and in-school groups at institutions like League Academy and Berea Middle School. Shakia provides a moving, firsthand account of the program's impact, explaining how targeted mentoring for middle school girls helped her navigate her dyslexia and discover a passion for music, ultimately building the confidence she needed to thrive. The discussion highlights the importance of community and school partnerships, showing how organizations like GirlUp GVL collaborate with Greenville County Schools to provide Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) support and case management. This model of non-profit student support in Greenville is shown to be essential for fostering student self-advocacy skills, giving them the tools to cope with challenges and communicate their needs. We learn what "wraparound support" truly looks like on a daily basis and how it empowers students to not just graduate, but to dream big and give back to their community. Kimberly and Shakia paint a vivid picture of how these programs act as "underlying strength builders," creating a vital support system that ensures every student has the chance to succeed.

Episode Resources:

• Learn more about GirlUp GVL

Introduction

Mary Leslie Anderson: Community organizations that support schools in our school district are paramount to supporting the needs of our students. On this episode of Simple Civics Ed Talks, Catherine Schumacher joins me as we talk with the Executive Director of GirlUp GVL, Kimberly Mogan, and Shakia, a long-time student of GirlUp GVL, to learn the impact and importance of non-profit organizations that support our students in Greenville County Schools.

Thank you both for being here. This is really, really exciting for me. Exciting conversation coming out of GirlUp GVL with Kimberly Mogan and Shakia Reeder. Kimberly, I have to commend you on what you do for our community every single day and just let you know how proud I am of you and how you have developed this amazing organization, GirlUp GVL. Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started and your journey here?

From a Personal Mission to a Community Organization

Kimberly Mogan: I am a Greenville native and I have my own life journey that wasn't full of all the best choices when I was younger. Later on, I ended up working at a nonprofit and started with a cohort of sixth graders and loved those students. And each year, students would age up. I left that organization at the end of 2017, but I had relationships with girls in the community. It was just this rogue lady still trying to do the work that I was doing with them and we were still doing internships and still doing driving lessons and doing SAT and ACT prep at my house.

When I left that organization, I actually made a choice for myself. I always told the students you have to make the most of every opportunity. And in my own reflection, in my own life, I hadn't done that? I didn't go to college when I was younger, but I left that organization and started going to college, but it was also hanging out with these girls. It was a time in my life of trying to sort through all of that, figure that out a little bit.

And honestly, from other conversations with people in the community who were continuing to support me were like, you just need to start your own thing. And it is the full picture of building the plane while you're flying it. But in the best way, it really was just how do we continue to bring resources to these amazing young women in the community? And how do we validate the work that we're doing?

In 2019 is when GirlUp GVL launched as a program. It was myself and 13 students. And we now annually serve over 100 girls every year. So it has been a wild ride to get here.

Catherine Schumacher: I love that. I love the story of how people use their own experience to start incredible things in our community. I love this conversation because there are so many incredible organizations that partner with schools. And at Public Education Partners, we're really interested. One of the joys is I get to meet so many of them. And Kimberly, we've crossed paths in a lot of different places. And I particularly love people who love middle schoolers because I know you do. I know you're a middle school person. But I would love, you talk about how many kiddos you're serving every year. Shakia, tell us a little bit about the role that GirlUp GVL played in growing you up.

The Impact of Mentorship: A Student's Perspective

Shakia: I definitely got to grow up with Miss Kimberly. I was originally a part of that same cohort that we came from. I started there because I had some educational difficulties. I have dyslexia. So it was an extra tutoring program, extra music lessons, any interest I ever had and brought to her. Even if I didn't bring it to her, if she noticed that I liked it, she'd give me an extra push in it.

One of my biggest things right now is Hamilton and will forever be Hamilton, and that's because I did band. I went to Sevier Middle School. I did band for Sevier and public school is great and I had one amazing teacher who was pouring as much as she could into me. But when I would leave that environment and go into Miss Kimberly's hands, she gave me a mentor who would basically help me learn beyond what I was learning in the class setting. And I was able to take that back to school and just thrive and be able to stand out for my peers in a situation where I would have not been doted on.

Catherine Schumacher: When you think about the community and how we can support organizations like GirlUp GVL, what does that look like for you, Kimberly?

How the Community Can Support Student Success

Kimberly Mogan: I think a huge part is just awareness. People really, I met with someone yesterday and she was like, I feel like I'm not doing anything. But the company that she works for is investing in organizations, not just financially, but also with their time. And I think it's easy to get caught up in your own little walk of life that you forget to look around and see what's happening around you. And so I think just honestly being aware of truly the inner workings of our community.

Greenville is such a resource rich community and there's a lot of people trying to do a lot of really great things. And so, it's not just GirlUp GVL out here trying to support students. There's, obviously you're with Public Education Partners, so you know y'all are out here trying to support people. So when I think about our needs, I think about specifically for GirlUp GVL with our students welcoming spaces for students to come and learn. For us, we take our middle school students to visit various businesses in the community. So spaces that are welcoming to that, that are willing to give of their time and energy and their knowledge to welcome students in to see themselves in different spaces is always helpful.

And then we have our internship program for rising freshmen through seniors, our own internship program at GirlUp GVL. And so people, once again, who are willing to take time to invest in the development of young people is so helpful and so needed in our community and for those students to be able to also give back to the same community where they're learning from.

Mary Leslie Anderson: One of the biggest pieces is the giving back to the community in which we're from. I'm also a product of Greenville Schools. So, and that has always been one of my biggest pieces. And I think that's why when I met you in 2014, your drive and your goal really inspired me. And like Catherine said, I'm a middle school person. And so just loving what you do. Could you tell us on a daily basis, or Shakia, maybe you want to weigh in on this, what does that support look like for the girls?

A Day in the Life: Providing Wraparound Support for Students

Kimberly Mogan: It varies. So at GirlUp GVL, we have an after-school program that works with middle school students. We have a weekly enrichment class that works with our high school students on site. And then we do individual success planning with all of those students. So basically case management. So wraparound support for those students. But then we also have our in-school groups. So we're currently at League Academy of Communication Arts, Berea Middle, Carolina High School & Academy, and Berea High School.

Wednesdays and Fridays are my days that I'm locked into the schools with the students. So on a regular basis, on a daily basis, it looks like we are working as a program team to discuss the needs, determine the needs with students, making sure we're implementing things into our program that the students are interested in, or making sure that we're coordinating times to meet with those students individually. For example, we have a day this week where we're meeting just with our juniors in high school to really work on their college readiness and prep and practical things that they need to be doing.

It is also working with our in-school groups that I love so much. I was just there with students today and one student came in and was like, didn't want to talk, didn't want to participate. Actually had been crying. And then by the end was laughing, talking with all of her friends. And that is just so sweet. So preparing for that, making sure our lessons are applicable, making sure that I'm also in a space that is ready and positioned to create a safe place for the girls that really allows it to be for them. So I think those are some of the things that are happening. What about from your perspective?

Shakia: From my perspective from where I am now, as a GirlUp GVL alumni, coming back, it's what they gave to me was just a listening ear. And so that's what I try to give the girls whenever I visit or get to see any of the younger girls there. It's what was the most important thing for me on a day to day basis? And that was coming in every day, just knowing there was someone to listen.

And even then, if I didn't want to talk, I knew deep down I did. First of all, I always want to talk about it. They just really want someone to ask what's wrong, what's going on. So I try to be what they were for me to them because that honestly is why I'm able to advocate so well for myself. It's because someone constantly asked me and showed me how I'm supposed to advocate for myself. So I want to give that same thing back to those girls, to the current girls.

Catherine Schumacher: So you're really paying it forward. You are functioning as a mentor now.

Shakia: Yeah. I still learn so much from them. One of the other girls who, she's two years above me, so she's The OG OG, the way she talks about the girls, she was like, just working with them for a summer, you get to experience the way Ms. Kimberly feels about us is how you get to see how you'll get that same feeling from them. So it's just, it's nice being able to pay it back. I like to say so many nonprofits in my community poured into me that one of my biggest goals is to pay it forward.

Mary Leslie Anderson: I love that so much. And that self-advocacy piece coming from the education world is huge right now, post-COVID and with our students relearning how to interact and connect.

Kimberly Mogan: And that's a lesson that we just did with some of our girls, just talking through their own personal values, but then having dialogue about how those values differ from each other, creating spaces where that is a conversation. And that happened, that was happening during the lunch day at one of our schools. And so I think it reflects so much about these students that they want that. They're willing to step into a space where there may be difficult conversations or hard conversations, but they're desiring additional support and additional spaces to learn more about who they are.

Shakia: And once you open that world up for a kid or for a child, once you take it away, they start longing for it. Miss Kimberly used to make us journal for a good bit before we would start anything else. And then after that was taken away, you could tell that I'm no longer communicating what emotion I'm going through. And that just creates a buildup. So she gave us the tools to help to make a healthy way of coping with things and then once you stop doing those tools you realize how much of a difference that made. And when we get back together, we'll talk about the things we would complain about and then now realize that that's actually why we're successful today. It's because the things that someone, I don't want to say made us do, but things someone pushed you to do is what you actually needed to do and you don't realize that as a kid. So, don't stop helping us, basically, because we'll realize it sooner or later.

Forging Critical Partnerships with Schools and Parents

Catherine Schumacher: Well, I think everyone needs mentors and partners. At Public Education Partners, we're really interested in how does the school function as a partner? So I'd love to hear you'll talk a little bit more about the opportunities and challenges of building those strong relationships with schools. You mentioned some great schools already. And the other piece is the parent piece. Those are critical relationships. So how does that work? How do you make sure that you're working within the structure of Greenville County Schools or whatever schools you're partnering with? And then how are you engaging and supporting parents to be your partners in this journey?

Kimberly Mogan: With the school partners that we have, it's really important. All the principals have been amazing. And then, of course, their support staff. So whether that's CIS or OnTrack or their school counselors have been really supportive in creating these spaces. And honestly, we've been very fortunate that they have asked us to come. And so we've just been able to. And so they helped develop the caseload from that angle. And the depth of support is a little different. So it is more contained to the school day. Those students aren't coming out with us on field trips and things like that.

Versus our afterschool program, there is a ton of parent involvement. We have a parent meeting with every student that is enrolled with us. We meet with them on a regular basis to talk about the goals that their student has or that they have for their student. And then we also do family events as well. For example, IGP meetings is a big deal, but sometimes parents aren't available or sometimes parents aren't aware of what all that entails. And so we had a school counselor come and meet with our students and we invited our families to come hear about what that is, what that looks like for our students.

Catherine Schumacher: And for listeners who don't know what an IGP is, that's your individual graduation plan, which is what students in Greenville County, you started in eighth grade and it maps out your path forward through high school.

Mary Leslie Anderson: One of the biggest game changers in a school is the school culture. As a former middle school administrator, you've got to secure an adult in the building that every student can connect with. And that's very hard because as humans, we don't all connect with each other. It's hard to find common ground sometimes. And one of the things that we like to do as an administration is help find those people to connect with students in a different way than a school can, if that makes sense. It's partnering with organizations like GirlUp GVL brings those adult connections and partners, like Kimberly said, sometimes into IGP meetings or IEP meetings or parent conferences, that just connect. Strengthen the wraparound support for a student.

Kimberly Mogan: Yeah, and that's definitely the involvement that we've had with families. It varies whether they're able to participate or whether they have the capacity to even think about it, because sometimes life is life and you just can't keep up with all the things. And so we've stepped into all sorts of things like that to help advocate for our student while also loving our school partners, but wanting to make sure we're really, we get to have that individual focus on that student.

Catherine Schumacher: Before we started recording, you were talking about the role, what someone said to you, how you describe what GirlUp GVL does.

Kimberly Mogan: A student recently was talking about GirlUp GVL and she was saying she's creating the path and we're helping her to chop down the trees. And I think that is just the most beautiful picture of what we do. And I honestly have never been able to verbalize it like that. So the fact that there's this high schooler who's like, this is what y'all are doing. And when she was talking about her experience at GirlUp GVL, it was like, we were all like, oh my gosh, that's beautiful. And yes, that's exactly what it is because they are doing the work. The students are doing the work. We just get to help make sure they're able to connect with the opportunities and have the resources that they need to get to where they want to be.

Catherine Schumacher: That's great. So let's talk about dreams. What's your dream, kiddo?

Dreaming Big: The Future of GirlUp GVL and Its Students

Shakia: My dream is to basically work for my community. I want to go into the medical, not want to, I am going into the medical field.

Mary Leslie Anderson: Very good job, good job.

Shakia: Where I'll be able to give back to my community. I wanted to be a doctor for a very long time, actually a surgeon, but I talk too much and I need the people I'm talking to to be conscious. And honestly, the people Ms. Kimberly has put in my life, the people GirlUp GVL has put into my life has helped me realize what's important to me. Like, what are my core values? So it's I have an idea. The idea becomes a goal. And that goal helps me dream about it. And we walk through that process.

So for me, it's finishing my degree here in nursing. Then nurse practitioner. And then get my MP. And then I just have this, I do this huge scene of me in this chaotic hospital helping everyone around me. And everyone comes to me with their problems. I fix all of them. I've always loved caring for people. And that's something that I've always realized. But I've been given the space where I can do that in a healthy way, in a productive way.

Catherine Schumacher: Kimberly, what about you?

Kimberly Mogan: GirlUp GVL for me is my baby and it is living my heart out in the community. So it's always vulnerable. So I think even sharing goals feel vulnerable because I'm like, I don't want to not meet them. Of course, for us, having our own space would be amazing. I would love to be able to welcome more students into our space, and I would love to make sure that we're able to really provide the support, workshops, things like that, that we need. And we need our own space to do that. So that feels like a really big dream. That feels like a big dream.

But I think it's the, honestly, I get to see the successes every day, just like the student who walked in crying and left laughing and smiling over a lunch. That feels like, okay, we're doing it. So if we get to just keep doing what we're doing right now, that also feels really good. A space that really feels like ours, our specific footprint here in Greenville, that feels really, that's the dream. That would be a dream for me, that it's not just built around me, but that it is a footprint here in Greenville.

Shakia: I have to sadly say I don't know much of Ms. Kimberly's personal dreams, but she's always dreamed for us. Even if I don't have the capacity to dream for myself, she dreams for me. When you asked me what my dream was, my first thing that came to my mind is the dream she has for me, which correlates with what I want. But the dream of living out of crisis and being able to live independently and just be able to go into the world and do what I want to do. Not because I have to, but because I want to. And that's the dream she has for all of us. So even though we might not know who we want, what she wants for us is just the financial freedom and the educational freedom to just do what we want to do. And a lot of people don't get to experience that.

Mary Leslie Anderson: Before we close, I have just one more question. Kimberly, what is the impact of organizations like GirlUp GVL on our Greenville community?

The Broader Impact: Strengthening the Community One Student at a Time

Kimberly Mogan: I would say we are an underlying strength builder for all of our community. And same with other organizations that are similar to us, whether they're working with younger kids, the same age kids. We are helping to really nestle the students in a time of day where there may not be much going on or there may be barriers for them accessing opportunities. And we are really there to help strengthen and build and invest in the Greenville community, and that's thousands of kids and there's thousands of kids being served by organizations here in Greenville.

And I'm really proud of the numbers that Greenville County Schools put out and that we have a hand in supporting our students to make sure that they are achieving. We have all of our students graduate high school, and sometimes that may not seem like a big deal. But when you're students who may be facing barriers or facing issues that impact your ability to do that, we're really proud of that.

Catherine Schumacher: It's so wonderful to have you both here. I love listening to students. We're going to, for listeners, we're making a real effort to get more student and student voices on this podcast so you can hear the impact of some of the extraordinary work. So, Shakia, thank you for joining us. Kimberly, thank you. I just, y'all, GirlUp GVL is awesome.

Mary Leslie Anderson: Fills my heart.

Kimberly Mogan: Thank y'all so much.

Shakia: Thank you for having me.

Catherine Schumacher: Simple Civics Ed Talks is a joint project of Greater Good Greenville, Greenville First Steps, and Public Education Partners Greenville County.