An interview with Jason Williams

Major: Child and Family studies

Year in school: Senior, Graduate may 2012

What does STATS stand for?

            Students Taking Action Through Service (to the community)

What inspired you to start S.T.A.T.S.?

            "I came from a high school that did not have much college preparation or exposure to a 4-year university.  S.T.A.T.S. has a partnership with the admissions office and we give tours to inner-city students who come to visit Northwest Missouri State University. We also make school visits to inner city schools mainly in Kansas City, Mo., to present to them why they should reach for higher education. S.T.A.T.S. members serve as mentors to high school students through an advocacy program."

How many team members do you have & how do you join?

            "We currently have 43 active members (students who attend meetings regularly) and 104 registered members. To join S.T.A.T.S. you have to have a 2.0 GPA and be a full-time student. Other than that we have a $10 annual fee and you just have to attend meetings regularly and participate. If you want to be on the executive board, we vote people in when a position opens. "

What projects are you working on right now?

            "Right now we are working on the second annual S.T.A.T.S. banquet. It is going to take place this Sunday, Dec. 12, and it basically just shows our members how much we appreciate them. We are going to hand out awards to all active members and thank them for their participation in this organization because without them we wouldn't be who we are."

What schools have you seen recently?

            "We recently hosted Paseo High School from Kansas City, Mo. They brought 45 students to Northwest Missouri State University and we gave them a full campus tour and helped show them the positive sides of coming to a 4-year university. We also had 18 students visit NWMSU from Riverview Garden High School from St. Louis, Mo., in the past week as well."

What was your favorite project that you did?

            "My favorite project that we do is the S.T.A.T.S. banquet that I mentioned earlier. This is because it shows people who have membership in our organization that their work really is making a difference to better the community. "

What exactly does S.T.A.T.S. do when you do a school visit?

            "We stand in a classroom of mostly juniors and seniors and explain to them that they can overcome the obstacles in their life. We share our own obstacles that we have gone through and try to inspire them to see that they can be successful too. It is mostly an open forum type of atmosphere for the students to learn more about the opportunity of higher education. "

What obstacles did you go through to get to a 4-year university?

            "I came from a school in Kansas City, Mo., that is now shut down because there was not a solid education base there. The teachers left out a lot of aspects of teaching and I had to adapt to the transition to a lecture hall type class. A lot of doors have opened for me now because before I came to college I did not even know about psychology, philosophy, ethics, etc. I didn't even know these classes existed because of the school I came from before."

What have you learned about yourself with creating STATS?

            "Before I came to Northwest Missouri State University, I was more of a loner. S.T.A.T.S. has taught me about teamwork. I have learned that you can be a lot more effective as a team than you can by trying to change the world on your own."