Doing the Wright Thing

After an eight-hour day at co-op, most students unwind with video games, TV or social media; for Nicholas Surgent, post-work relaxation involves 20 kids between the ages of 5 and 12 waiting to get help with their homework and play some basketball. For the past three years, Nicholas has volunteered at the Wright Recreation Center’s afterschool program in Mantua. He originally volunteered as a requirement for his Civics 101 course, but loved it and stayed on to see the program expand from helping one or two kids to its current average of 20 per day.

As the program has grown, Nicholas has seen progress: “In the beginning some kids didn’t want to be there, but now I get the feeling that they genuinely have fun and they’re eager to learn.”

Through a connection at Wright, Nicholas joined the Drexel Community Scholars and will be the program’s Education Coalition leader. In that role he’ll visit the various sites throughout the city where DCS members serve, but he admits, “I’ll always have a bias towards Wright.”