In a recent announcement, the Worcester Historical Museum named Matthew Hodson and Kelly Ann Jaramillo Community Heroes and Activists for their continuous hard work and dedication to the Hoop Dreams mentoring program over the past year. Beginning in October, an exhibit will be set up at the Worcester Historical Museum to honor their service to the community.
The Hoop Dreams program directed by Kelly and Matt is a mentoring program set up to teach inner city children the importance of education and sports. The mentors of the program help each child do their homework, prepare science fair projects, study for tests, teach them how to use computers, and many other various tasks. For athletics the children learn how to play basketball, soccer, Frisbee, cheerleading, swimming, and many other sports. The Hoop Dreams program also offers special activities like Indian dancing, robotics and physics demonstrations, Lego competitions, and other various special activities sponsored by organizations on campus. Along with Matt and Kelly, Professor William Baller also lends a vital hand in the program.
Matthew Hodson is currently a junior majoring in Industrial Engineering. He is a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity where he serves as an officer, participates in intramural sports, as well as WPI clubs, and loves helping others in need. " My favorite thing about the program is watching the children having fun while they do their homework. It's nice to see the children excited about learning and watching how their attitudes and mannerisms change as the program progresses," said Matt of the Hoop Dreams program.
Kelly Ann Jaramillo is currently a junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She is on the Crew team and involved in multiple organizations including EMSEP, AFROTC, Astronomy Club, and many more. When asked what her favorite thing about the Hoop Dreams Program is she replied "It is great that we are in a position to inspire the kids to aspire-to aim high in their educational pursuits, etc. But I think the most important part of Hoop Dreams is simply being their friend, showing these kids that somebody truly cares about them. At their soft age, a little love goes a long way."