Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND) Director Hillary Kane had a vision for a program where college upperclassmen could serve as mentors for first-year college students by focusing on college retention and completion. In 2014, Kane’s vision became a reality, with Temple University being the first university to participate in Next Steps AmeriCorps, a collaboration between PHENND and AmeriCorps.  

Until 2022, Temple’s Next Steps program was housed in the Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships. After a year without the program at Temple, the Honors community is ecstatic to be the new home of the program with a cohort of 9 student members. 

What is Next Steps AmeriCorps? 

Currently, there are five other Pennsylvania campuses participating in the program: Arcadia University, Cabrini University, Cheyney University, La Salle University, and the Community College of Philadelphia. Each school is led by a full-time AmeriCorps member that serves as the team leader of the members and completes 1,700 hours of community service in one year. 

When Kane and PHENND’s Next Steps Program Manager Robin Hall first talked to Honors Academic Advisor Jackie Lopez and Honors Director Amanda Neuber about bringing Next Steps back to Temple, Lopez and Neuber identified Honors alum Addie Boccuzzi as the perfect person to be Temple’s team leader.  

“It’s really ignited a passion of mine that I didn’t know existed,” Boccuzzi said. “I didn’t realize how much I was interested in college access and college success.”  

Lopez participated in City Year, an AmeriCorps program, and worked at PHENND before she came to work at Temple Honors. She is so happy to have Next Steps back at Temple and is motivated by her collaboration with Kane, Hall and Boccuzzi.  

Hall is a Temple alum and is passionate about college access and retention. Though she has only been with PHENND since March, she has been instrumental in bringing Next Steps back to her alma mater.  

Next Steps AmeriCorps at Temple University 

Most team leaders start recruiting student members in mid-August, but Boccuzzi was able to start earlier in the summer of this year and is excited to impart her wisdom onto future team leaders.  

Temple students do not have to be enrolled in the Honors program to participate in Next Steps. They only need to be committed to 300 hours of community service, mentoring and professional development. All members also demonstrate economic need and/or are first generation college students.  

The members from the six participating schools gather occasionally for professional development and spend time each week volunteering at various partner organizations.  

Meet Temple’s 2023-2024 Next Steps AmeriCorps Members 

The main focus of the program, though, is mentorship of first year college students to make sure they have the tools they need to get their college careers off to a great start.  

Sophomore Honors student Madonna Samaan is a neuroscience major and is excited to be volunteering at the Lenfest Center’s Workforce Education & Lifelong Learning (WELL) program. She noted that it is great that she gets to help the community and her mentees while also helping herself by gaining valuable mentorship skills.  

Sophomore Honors student and management information systems major Neel Patel echoed Samaan’s excitement for helping others while learning more about himself. Patel is volunteering at Grandma’s Kids, an after-school program in North Philadelphia elementary schools. 

Junior Honors student and biology major Joyce Chen will also be volunteering with the WELL program. At the kick-off event for the program on September 30, 2023 in the Honors Huddle, Chen and other members had the opportunity to hear from speakers about what makes a good mentor. Her key takeaway is that in order to be a good mentor, you have to be a good listener and look at your mentorship as a partnership.  

Samaan, Patel and Chen are all appreciative of the support from Boccuzzi and the team leaders and members from other participating schools. Perhaps we could see one of them back with Next Steps as a team leader when they graduate! 

For more information about joining Next Steps for the 2024-2025 cohort or to be matched with a mentor, contact Addie Boccuzzi at addieb@temple.edu.