Sometimes It Takes a Village
Actually it, more or less, always takes a village to get any one of us through life. At times it is difficult to even recognize the village and it can be a bumpy ride for a resident to discover it. In this edition of the Educational Development Program’s Student Spotlight, the beam is glistening on Paul Overturf, a junior Crimin
al Justice major, from Dunkirk, New York, and his journey to find his village.
Growing up in various parts of Pennsylvania and New York, Paul experienced a tumultuous childhood. His family moved around quite a bit (Paul’s recollection is about seven moves), but eventually they came to New York and settled in Brocton and then to Fredonia.
Having become aware of TILP (Transitional Independent Living Program), run by Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc., while at the safe house, Paul explored living at TILP in Dunkirk. He arrived in June of 2011, qualifying six months later as a Residential Advisor (RA), and found his village. Due to his accomplishments at TILP, Paul was awarded the Personal Achievement Award, given by the Community Action Agency of New York to an individual who has achieved major personal success. However, he did not stop there! He expanded his village to include The State University of New York at Fredonia.
In addition to success at TILP and in his classes (he was on the Dean’s List at the end of his first semester and has maintained good academic standing since), Paul is very involved on campus. Once again, his village grew. Since his first year, he has been employed at Alumni Affairs as a work-study. He also is a student Ambassador, an intern with University Police, a student member of the Student Conduct review board, and a participant in the Advanced Leadership Development Program. And last, but most certainly, not least, he functioned as a JEWEL (July EOP Workshop for Expanded Learning) peer advisor this past summer (2014). As of November 17, Paul obtained full-time employment at Chautauqua Opportunities as a youth specialist!
Once he completes his degree program here at Fredonia, Paul plans to take the New York State Trooper Entrance Examination and go on to the NYS Police Academy to fulfill his life-long dream of working in law enforcement.
There is no doubt that Paul’s village will continue to grow even stronger and more diverse.
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