STUDENT CHAMPION SPOTLIGHT

STUDENT CHAMPION

SPOTLIGHT ABI BROWN

EAST at Little Rock Central High School is one of the most storied EAST programs within the most iconic school in Arkansas. And now, for the first time, the program has a Student Champion who is looking to cement her EAST program as one of Central Arkansas’ stars.

Meet Abi Brown, who is currently in her second year as an EAST student, but massively impressed her facilitator Tamara McCormack last year, especially with how she performed at EAST Conference.

“I received a Difference Maker coin from a judge at last year’s Conference and helped our program win an award during the Project Showcase competition,” Abi said. “Mrs. McCormack really wanted me to step up and take the role. At first, I wasn’t sure because it sounded like a lot of responsibility, but she has helped me take it on.”

Before joining EAST in her sophomore year, Abi says she had no idea what EAST was, but she jumped at the opportunity when she learned that the course was founded in community service.

“I’ve always had a passion for community service ever since I started working to help homeless people in fourth grade,” Abi said.

Abi’s primary projects have centered around helping organizations in her school and providing resources for students in need.

“Last year I worked with our school’s mental health club to create a website for them. We wanted to make sure that students had all of the resources they needed readily available to them,” Abi said. “This year, me and a couple of other students are working on implementing a sensory room into our school so that students that are overwhelmed have a safe place to go in order to decompress.”

As a Student Champion, Abi is leading her program’s preparation for EAST Conference 2023, as well as constantly communicating deadlines with her peers. “I’ve learned how to take on more responsibility,” Abi said. “This is the first time I’ve led a team like this so to keep everyone on track and to be the person in charge of planning, as well as being an important point of contact, has been a new experience for me.”

While Abi believes her program is doing great things and is proud of their work, she is working to shift the mindsets of not only her fellow students, but also her own.

“I think our program is doing a great job at the moment, and we are doing amazing things, but I will say that there are people here like me that want to accomplish a crazy project and change the world,” Abi said. “The thing I’m trying to work on is to take these big ideas and turn them into something that is logistically realistic but is still a project that can make a positive impact.”

Individually, Abi is already thinking about life after high school even as a junior. Her love for helping people has been ignited by EAST and is inspiring her career aspirations.

“I’ve been thinking about college and my career a lot because I tend to be an overthinker,” Abi said. “I know that I want to pursue a career where I can help people, so I’ve been leaning toward studying to become a therapist or a career in social work.”