Creating Opportunities and a Chance for Dialogue with Beimnet Getahun

Sean: [00:00:00]  Welcome to the very first episode of We Can Do This. My name is Sean Pritzkau, your hosts, and I'm really glad you're here. This is likely the first time you're tuning in. It's really the first time I'm tuning in. And to give you an idea of what this show is about, We Can Do This is a podcast that connects people looking to create meaningful change with the tools, skills, and community they need to stay the course and make an impact. 

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[00:00:27] So I'm really excited to jump into our first interview with Beimnet Getahun.  

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[00:00:31] So Beimnet and I had a really great conversation and we talk about how she's aligned her passions with her career and the unconventional ways that she navigated working with students during the pandemic.

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[00:00:42] So you'll hear about how she was able to create dialogue with students  from all around the country around some really important topics, such as racial violence and police brutality and how she was able to involve influential voices, like Chance the Rapper and some other voices.

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[00:01:00] So I really think you'll enjoy this conversation with Beimnet Getahun . 

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[00:01:18]All right. Hey, so we're here with Beimnet Getahun. She is the programs director at Attollo in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Beimnet welcome to the podcast.

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[00:01:29] Beimnet: [00:01:29] Thank you so much. I'm really excited to be here.

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[00:01:31] Sean: [00:01:31] Yeah, thanks so much for being on the podcast. I've been looking forward to this one for a little while. So let's get started. First, if you want to share a little bit about your background and how did you end up  at Attollo.

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[00:01:43] Beimnet: [00:01:43] Yeah.  My family is actually originally from Ethiopia. My parents moved to the States right before my brothers and I were born. So I actually had the privilege of growing up here in Lancaster. My parents knew that they wanted to have a family and they knew that they wanted us to have a better education.

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[00:01:56]So grew up here in Lancaster. I actually went to Eastern University for undergrad  and then I ended up venturing out to Los Angeles for grad school and I definitely loved my time in LA. I learned a lot about myself during that time and then I ended up coming back to Lancaster. My education is really centered around social work  and I currently am working in education and I feel that everything I learned within social work, I'm able to apply it within education as well. 

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[00:02:20] Sean: [00:02:20] Very awesome. So if you want to give us a little bit of information about Attollo. I understand it's a pretty different approach to education.

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[00:02:28]Beimnet: [00:02:28] Yeah, definitely so Attollo, we're actually a college access program but more importantly, we're actually a leadership program  and we work with juniors and seniors specifically in high school and it's really interesting  because we're college access,  we don't actually work within the schools. We actually are partnered with a bunch of different schools. Currently we're partnered with eight different schools in Lancaster County and the eight schools we work with. We talked to the administrators, we talked to the counselors and they actually are the ones who select the students that are a part of our program.

[00:02:57] So they pick a cohort of about 35 students that are really diverse in any regard. Diverse within gender diverse even within the way they perform academically. And we really want a group of students who normally wouldn't be together in a room to really learn and grow from each other.

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[00:03:13] So all the students are offered the opportunity to go through a six week recruitment process. So those students that have been selected go through six weeks and actually wake up at 5:30 AM and they meet us at the school 5:30. Right. So early.

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[00:03:27] Sean: [00:03:27] And it sounds like you're in that mode right now.

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[00:03:30] Beimnet: [00:03:30] Yeah. So I'm currently at a school where this morning I was there with the students, they were there at 5:30 AM. We had perfect attendance. Oh, we compete against the other schools. So yeah, they go through a 5:30 AM recruitment process and actually during the six weeks they learn a lot of different things, but a huge part of it is for them to be able to share their story in an empowering way.

[00:03:50] So the six weeks is really tailored around that. We really want them to be able to learn more about themselves and gain a deeper understanding  and I think a huge part of my experience in LA was learning about myself, right?

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[00:04:03]And I felt that because I learned so much about myself, one thing when I moved back to Lancaster that I really wanted was for other people to also be able to have that same experience. I was like, how can that happen? How can I create more experiences where people get to learn more about themselves?

[00:04:16] Just because I thought that was so important to me and that's exactly what we do at Attollo. So when I found as like, Oh my goodness, this lines up so perfectly and so the students really get to gain a deeper understanding about themselves through that recruitment process and I think  that's just a different approach of  learning.

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[00:04:32]And I think it will help them a lot in life because you have to apply to interviews, you have to be able to share about who you are, even the college application process as well and so we want to get a head start on that.

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[00:04:44] Sean: [00:04:44] Yeah, it sounds like you're in a really cool spot. I'm curious,  as a student attending Attollo, how is that experience a bit different than, you know, attending like a normal  school?

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[00:04:54]Beimnet: [00:04:54] I think in a variety of different ways. One of the biggest I would  say the six week recruitment is really tailored around six core pillars. They are strong mind, competition, resiliency, accountability, sacrifice, and finish strong. We really tailor each day and each activity around those pillars.

[00:05:15] So each week is focused on one pillar and I think it's a very high energy, even though it's early in the morning, 5:30 in the morning, we're like playing music. It's a lot of movement. We're not really sitting a lot. We really want to be engaging in the things that we're doing. But then we also want it to be transferred into them also being introspective.

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[00:05:34] This group of students are a group of students that normally wouldn't be together and they're in a room and they're able to learn and grow from each other. So it's a little different in regards to just the diversity of the group. And they're able to learn from each other, even though they're not necessarily in the same classes as each other. And then additionally, a lot of our activities are very high energy, even though it's early in the morning, we try to bring some energy as well as it's a lot of movement, so they have the opportunity to move around and do a lot of different activities.

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[00:06:02] We're not really sitting and writing a lot, but we do have a lot of opportunities for students to be introspective and have that moment for themselves as well.

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[00:06:10]Sean: [00:06:10] I love that. It sounds like I wish I went to Attollo I was a student and I was a musician, a creative thinker and sometimes I feel like the, the educational system failed me in some ways, because I'm just not like most students and how I think. So it sounds like this must've been an amazing school to attend especially for people that learn a bit differently than others.

[00:06:30]So understanding that Attollo has different approach I  imagine your experience during the pandemic, must've been a bit challenging for the way that you approach education.

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[00:06:40]Beimnet: [00:06:40]  I think when everything shut down, it definitely was a challenge. We really value being in person value, interacting with students, building those connections, building that rapport. And so it was really It was really sad. We were like, what are we going to do? We were like, brainstorming of course.

[00:06:55] Yeah. Zoom was an option. So we learned a lot more about zoom, just like everybody else did during that time. And then we decided to implement zoom programming because of course everything was shut down. And so that was really the only option. Right. But it was a challenging time, I think, both for us as staff, but then also for students during this time, That transition to go completely virtual in a blink of an eye.

[00:07:16]We were just really empathetic and trying to understand where they were coming from and trying to be there for them through that transition.

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Sean: [00:07:24] Yeah. And we've all been on zoom during the pandemic. And it sounds like your students had a pretty cool experience in some of this programming when they were on zoom, can you tell us a little bit about that?

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Beimnet: [00:07:33] Yeah,  so we transitioned all of our programming to zoom. So our AML class, which is a medicine class engineering class, our startup class, our sat class. But then additionally we were trying to engage students and just in an authentic way as well. So we were like calling students, FaceTiming them, checking in with them.

[00:07:49] And then everybody was saying like, Oh, look, I'm so bored. I've been watching Netflix. It's like, God, that me too. What do you watch? So we talked about just like what they're wanting and then one, one student actually brought up an idea cause I was like, what ideas do you guys have? Like, I was like, what ideas do you guys have?

[00:08:04] And they were like, Oh, I think it would be really cool to have a conversation about a movie. And I was like, cool. Since you guys are all watching movies and we all watch Netflix I would love to so kind of messaged all the students I asked  what we should watch. And so we, we ended up watching a variety of different things together and actually having discussions around them.

[00:08:22] Right, and  at first it was a smaller group of students. And then some weeks it was a little bit more, but we were just like, we're just going to go for it. No matter the outcome, we're just going to keep, keep this, keep this up. And so one day then we were, we were just like talking and then  the killing of George Floyd was a conversation that a lot of students were bringing up.

[00:08:40] Right. And that was definitely a tragedy and we were all kind of trying to process it together. And during that time, we decided that we wanted to figure out how we can implement a conversation around this in an authentic manner and in a way that we can actually grieve together because not only  were the school shut down and we didn't have social interactions with each other, but now people are processing this.

[00:09:00] And it was all over social media and so we ended up deciding to have something called Attollo Talks where we wanted to open conversation to the community, and we decided to just watch a variety of different films and listen to different podcasts in regards to racial inequality.

[00:09:18]So we started by watching the documentary 13th and we decided to have a conversation around that and we opened it up to anybody that wanted to attend and so we had students, we had families, we had principals, we had community members. We had people from different states and that it was just an open dialogue where we could learn, we could grieve together and we could try to figure out how we can make change together.

[00:09:42] Sean: [00:09:42] Wow. That's amazing. Yeah. Especially as Netflix. I mean, we were all watching Netflix during the pandemic and specifically , these series that talk about really important issues like the racial violence in our country. They often facilitate this one way kind of conversation, right. And for your students to be able, not just your students, but other people in the community and around the country, we're able to have actual dialogue around these topics is super incredible.

[00:10:10]Do you want to share with us a little bit more, tell me about these talks. How did they go? Is there any things that stood out to you and about what you learned and what the students learned during that time?

[00:10:21] Beimnet: [00:10:21] Yeah, it definitely was a time where we all learned together. It was really cool because I think it started off where we were nervous. We were like, Oh, we didn't know who was going to come. And what the, what the conversations , how they were going to go. But a lot of people ended up attending.

[00:10:34] There was like, 100 people who came out one week, another week, 200 people who came out in total, it was about over 500 people who ended up joining these zoom calls. And so it was definitely impactful for us and it was really impactful just to hear other people's perspectives and really just learn and grow together.

[00:10:53] As I mentioned earlier, we had a little student leader group, which we would meet we would not even just this weekly, we would meet like, Well, I feel like we met every night. I honestly can't really remember, but we would meet with them and they would give us ideas. They would lead conversations.

[00:11:06] Then we also had Chance the Rapper join the call. And so that was really cool. He was able to share it a few nuggets with the students and the families and, and everybody that joined that night. And so it's definitely it was just amazing to see the students own it and lead it together and just learn, learn with them.

[00:11:23] Sean: [00:11:23] Wow. Yeah, that's incredible. I love how you had students involved in the planning of these conversations and really the orchestration of this. I imagine as an educator that had to be a really rewarding experience too, and not just leading this and creating curriculum, but having students kind of be.

[00:11:39] In it a hundred percent of the way. And obviously I imagine this must've been just an incredible experience for students to pop on a zoom call, right. And not know that they're going to, who they're going to interact with and what kind of conversations are going to have, or if someone like Chance the Rapper is going to pop up on their zoom call.

[00:11:55]I imagine that had the really make it an  experience for your students. . And even  with that  I'm curious, how did you facilitate  these connections between different guests that would help lead these conversations  and contribute?

[00:12:09]Beimnet: [00:12:09] We just ended up  one day  just like brainstorming and talking about  okay, how can we make this different? How can we engage? How can we inspire? And so honestly, we just ended up just reaching out and just  explaining our mission , and then it was reciprocated.

[00:12:24] So that was really amazing to see kind of that connection build and to have chance join the call and share his perspective was definitely amazing. So , it was just more of just  sharing vision and just reaching out and just shooting, shooting our shots. We like to call it, you know, you never know what you're going to get, so you might as well just go for it.

[00:12:42] Let's go for it big time, you know? And  so that was a really amazing  process, just like, just go for it full. Just, yeah, just go for it.

[00:12:51] Sean: [00:12:51] Yeah, that's super inspirational, I think and I'm mindful of, you know, people who might be listening to this. I mean, you were in an academic setting, there was no one that was likely telling you to go reach out to certain individuals or really to do this. This was, it seems to be purely motivated on your desire just to really reach out to these students during the pandemic and the students themselves to create a experience for each other.

[00:13:16]And I love that you, there was why not shoot for a shoot for the stars really reach for whatever you can. And so for people listening, , what would you share with them? They may be  in a challenging time. We're all kind of in this together during the pandemic.

[00:13:31] And  other people listening to this might  have ideas , or really thinking through how they're approaching education, whether it be in their schools, in their businesses. I think it's really unique what you were able to do during the pandemic.

[00:13:47] And so do you have anything to share maybe with people listening today to kind of inspire them to, take that same approach and think  bit creatively about how they're approaching  life during the pandemic, but just in general.

[00:14:00]Beimnet: [00:14:00] I definitely think that  during challenging times,  we might feel unmotivated and that's totally real. And I think taking a moment to  pause and reflect and just  process is so important. So definitely take that time. I also think that there is so much opportunity.

[00:14:14] There always is opportunity. And I think just realizing that and  just like dreaming big. I'm  a firm believer and just like going for it. I never feel like I was like that before, but I think working at a Attollo has really shown me that there's no harm in shooting for the stars. Literally.

[00:14:29] There's no harm in just going for it. What's the worst that can happen. You get a no? Okay. Let's think of a new idea and let's continue to build upon the ideas that we already have. There's this phrase if you spell out the word opportunity is nowhere and opportunity is now here. They actually use the same.

[00:14:48] Words. Like if you actually spell it out, you see the same thing you see, opportunity is nowhere and you see opportunities now here. And I really think it's just about perspective. So instead of seeing the opportunities, nowhere, just look and you'll see that opportunities literally now here and it's right in front of us. 

[00:15:06] Sean: [00:15:06] Cool. Yeah. So I think we're way more capable of achieving things that we don't think we're able to. Earlier in our conversation, before we push record, I know you were sharing with us a little bit about your recruitment phase and some of the process that goes into that and how you instill these students, that you're, you're way more capable of certain things that you don't think you are. So do you want to share with us a little bit about that?

[00:15:27]Beimnet: [00:15:27] So one of the interesting aspects of a Attollo recruit is actually our students have the opportunity to learn how to solve the Rubik's cube. And I know it sounds super unconventional and when we say it to them, they're like, wait, what?  but yeah, So they have the opportunity to learn how to solve a Rubik's cube.

[00:15:47] And I think the interesting thing about the Rubik's cube is that a very small percent of the world can solve it. Right. I think it's like less than 5% of the world can solve it, but we actually expect our students to learn how to solve it in under 90 seconds. So they are doing something that is extremely challenging at an exceptional level.

[00:16:07] Right. And so that means that they're even a part of a smaller percent. They can do something that's extremely challenging at an exceptional level and we want them to know that as they're learning it, it's a step-by-step process. Right. Just like a lot of things in life. And so it's an actual representation of.

[00:16:23] I can do hard things and I can do hard things really well. And so they are able to learn how to solve it throughout the six weeks. And then at the end of the six weeks to actually interviewed and they're interviewed with the pillars that we discussed earlier. So the six core pillars on being able to share some examples and be able to really share their story in an empowered way, as well as solve the Rubik's cube in under 90 seconds.

[00:16:45] And so all of that accumulates today of celebration, they did something challenging six weeks of waking up at five 30 in the morning. Learning more about themselves. Solving the Rubik's cube and doing it at an exceptional level and  then they become Attollo Scholars where a lot of opportunities are open to them and we want them to earn it.

[00:17:02] Right. We don't want to just give them the opportunity. We want them to feel like they've accomplished something and they've earned something and  then the doors open for them. They have sat prep. I mentioned that earlier, a telemedicine startup class, an engineering class. We help them go on college tours all throughout the US so we believe that you can't be what you can't see.

[00:17:21] And we want those doors to be open to them, but it all starts with 5:30 AM in the morning, six weeks six, core pillars, and the Rubik's cube.

[00:17:28]Sean: [00:17:28] Waking up that early in general is something to be proud of. But I imagine  leaving this experience, knowing that one, you can do something that less than 5% of the world knows how to do. That gives you  confidence that , you can do whatever you put your mind to.

[00:17:41] You can solve a Rubik's cube in less than 90 seconds. And I swear if I knew how to do that, I'd probably put it in my Twitter bio or something. So it's, it's pretty cool. Well, awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing and about Attollo and your journey .

[00:17:57]But before we go, is there anything else that you want to share?

[00:18:00]Beimnet: [00:18:00] One thing that I would  say is that I'm honestly so thankful . I think that the space that Attollo provides  is a space for students and And it's a space where they can learn and grow together. But I also think it's a space where we as staff have the opportunity to really learn and grow together.

[00:18:14] And I just encourage you if you're listening, just to find people that, that challenge you authentically, , that you can grow with. And I think that that makes the world of a difference and I'm excited for continued change. As we all come together.

[00:18:27]Sean: [00:18:27] I think that's a really good thing to share with our audience today. The people surrounding us can really lift us up and remind me, what does Attollo mean?

[00:18:37] Beimnet: [00:18:37] Yes,  Attollo is Latin and it means to rise up.

[00:18:41]Sean: [00:18:41] I think that's a really cool way to, to end. Well Beimnet that thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today.

[00:18:47] Beimnet: [00:18:47] Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. Definitely, really appreciate it. 

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[00:19:03]Sean: [00:19:03] Well, what an awesome interview with Beimnet Getahun. I'm really inspired by the way that she was able to take something like Netflix and students using that during the pandemic and really use it as a vehicle to have  conversations with some of the topics that really came to the forefront of our public dialogue this past year. And how she was able to use something we all know and use, right? Like Zoom. And she was able to facilitate these conversations, not just in her classroom, but with a audience all around the nation of 500 people and be able to use that tool to connect with someone like Chance the Rapper. Hello. 

[00:19:41] So I think there's a lot in that episode. So if you're interested  Attollo Prep, or learn more about them, that you can. See her links in the show notes. But thank you so much for tuning in to this first episode that We Can Do This. We have a bunch more interviews coming up. So make sure to subscribe. And if you like what you hear so far.  It would really help me if you would leave a review in iTunes or your podcast app of choice.  

[00:20:06] See you next week.  

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