As the chapter celebrates its 10-year anniversary, we want to shine a spotlight on a special story from
ASAS Washington, DC. We reached out to DC’s Community Engagement and School Relations Manager,
Dominique McComb, (shown above with ASAS DC students), and asked her about her experience at ASAS. This is Dominique’s story.
I started working for All-Stars about 8 years ago when I was in my early 20s. During those first few years I was on a journey of self-discovery—trying to nail down what my contribution to the world would be. Looking back, I can say now that All-Stars has birthed the version of me that I sometimes doubted I would see.
At All-Stars, our mission is to help students succeed in school and beyond, but—in my experience at ASAS DC—they also provide a nurturing environment for employees to grow and develop. Whether you are staff or a student, All-Stars is a place where you can start off as a tiny seed and watch yourself blossom into your true potential.
DaMarcus is an example of one such student. Like me, he was searching for something when he first came to All-Stars. We realized that he needed an outlet where he could be heard and understood, to be free to be himself and create his own narrative. It took time, but something clicked when he joined the step team. He began attending our bi-weekly dance classes. He became a leader for the team, inventing new moves and cheering on his peers. Through dance, DaMarcus found his voice.
Today, he’s more focused and loves leadership opportunities. His peers truly look up to him. Dancing has helped him gain self-control and awareness. Above all, DaMarcus has been able to build community with his peers. You don’t come across too many people who are destined to become great leaders, and DaMarcus is one of those people.
If this organization did not exist, I honestly don’t know where I would be at in life. This has been a life-changing experience. And we are changing lives every day. The greatest feeling is when your prior students come back to see you and share all the great things that they have accomplished. It’s confirmation that we all have impact and that the world needs more programs like All-Stars.
A small cohort of five All-Stars staff members recently completed the pilot of our
RISE Fellowship, a 13-month leadership development program including small group and one-on-one coaching, mentorship, discussions, and experience sharing.
Developed and led by
Risa Davis, Independent Nonprofit Consultant and previous Vice President of Corporate Development at United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, the fellowship was designed to give ASAS leaders further insight into their individual leadership styles and those of other leaders, as well as build the tools they need to approach issues and challenges in their respective roles.
Throughout the fellowship, cohort members sharpened their leadership skill sets and grew professionally by participating in 360-degree assessments by peers, individual self-assessments, relevant workbook-based discussions, and real-world examples of leadership challenges.
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