“Dear young people, do not bury your talents, the gifts that God has given you! Do not be afraid to dream of great things!” Pope Francis

Cheyenne, an emerging college freshman at Immaculata University, has strong roots in the Germantown community as she attended St. Athanasius Catholic School from first through eighth grade and returned in her high school years as a summer camp counselor and after school program volunteer. Her job at camp begins in the morning with the kid’s breakfast time followed by about a half hour of playtime. Afterwards, there is normally an activity, lunch time, and a movie of the children’s choice. All of the staff members and teachers have been mentors to Cheyenne, including her aunt and grandmother who also works at the school. She highlighted a teacher named Miss Moore who has given her valuable advice as she embarks on a new journey at college at the end of August.

This young leader has learned a great deal from working with kids, but above all, it has taught her patience. She says that all of the kids have different personalities — some are calm while others are more hyper — that she has to sort through and understand in order to be an effective camp counselor. Cheyenne talked about one student in particular who has made an impression on her, as well as the other staff members. She said that Gabriella is so smart and intelligent, well above her age level. This “little old lady”, according to Cheyenne, has been her greatest instructor in learning patience as Gabriella always reminds Cheyenne to be patient with the other kids and even helps assist some of the other kids during activities.

Outside of volunteering, Cheyenne’s hobbies include watching Grey’s Anatomy and crocheting. Her crocheting skills come from studying Youtube videos and then practicing the designs on her own. She even makes crochet hats for premature babies and sends in crochet squares to Project Chemo Crochet to be made into a blanket for cancer patients. Her future plans include studying biology at Immaculata University in hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon, which she discovered by volunteering and shadowing at CHOP, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Overall, I would say this young lady has a bright and promising future that the community is so proud of! The presence of the Center and the Vincentian tradition of the local school have enabled Cheyenne to say #IamVincent.

Faces of Germantown is intended for the use of St. Vincent De Paul Young Adult Center, which is a nonprofit house that hosts service retreat groups from high schools and colleges that follow the Vincentian teachings. This page was started by a summer intern in May 2017 in order to put faces to the community members of Germantown and showcase some of the stories and talents of the people living there. They gladly have shared with the world.