Preparation and Guidance: Carmen Northwest Alum Reflects on Her Experience

Ivonna Gentry thrives on challenging herself, getting involved whenever possible, and transcending expectations all while being a student leader, advocate, and athlete. Her passion for advocacy and self-motivation was shaped by the guidance of her mentors and valuable experiences from Carmen Northwest. 

From day one in orientation, Ivonna noticed that Carmen’s faculty and staff prioritized not only the students’ education, but their personal growth as well. Their unwavering support and motivational attitudes gave Ivonna the ambition to set goals and actively work toward achieving them. 

Ivonna was influenced by several key individuals while at Carmen, one being Ashlei Miller, current principal of Carmen Northwest. Ivonna respects how she provided culturally responsive teaching and effectively bonded with her students. 

“I really appreciated her because she was one of the first black women that I’ve personally seen excel and be super confident in the academic space.” Ivonna shared.

Another individual that Ivonna holds in high regard is Kyle Lara, her science teacher at Carmen, his patience, support, and belief in her potential left a lasting impression on her. Lara always focused on putting students first and offered academic assistance to struggling students outside of school hours. He taught Ivonna that she should never give up on herself and that advocating for her needs will help her achieve her goals. 

“People don’t know how they can help you or they may not know how motivated or how driven you are unless you’re communicating and asking for help.” Ivonna said. 

An element of Carmen that Ivonna appreciated most was her advisory class taught by Mary Gillis. The class met every morning and once at the end of the week, this was a time for her to express her emotions and reflect. Ivonna is grateful for this experience, as it provided her with a therapeutic space during high school, which can be a naturally stressful setting for many students.  

After graduating from Carmen Northwest, Ivonna completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in dance at Alverno College, in an impressive three years. 

While attending Alverno Ivonna was heavily involved as President of the Alverno Dance Company and a volunteer organization called A Greater Deed, Vice President of the Black Student Alliance, and Secretary of Alverno Student Government, as well as a member of the Alverno tennis team. She found that having these commitments and being a part of something bigger than herself to be motivating and a form of wellness.

“I think for some people wellness looks like resting and relaxing. For me tennis, dance, and all those activities was my form of wellness.” Ivonna said. 

In a state of transition, Alverno experienced reallocation of finances within their educational department, which potentially threatened the dance program. By applying Carmen’s lessons of advocacy, Ivonna and her peers succeeded in keeping the dance program at Alverno, which she is a moment she is very proud of. 

“Since Carmen taught me to be an advocate, I’ve utilized that to my fullest potential.”

She is now pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at Mount Mary University and following that, plans to work toward a doctoral degree while continuing to support her community through volunteer work.

Ivonna wishes to pass on advice to current and future Carmen students that reflects the lessons that were integral to her finding success. She wants students to know that reaching out for help and using the resources provided doesn’t need to be scary, they’re designed to help students succeed. 

“It can be hard to reach out because you don’t want to feel less than, and we already live in a world that kind of instills that into us, but in order to succeed long term, you have to use your resources.” 

Most importantly, Ivonna wants students to advocate for themselves and their needs in the way she did so they may unlock their potential and achieve success. By sharing her story, she hopes to inspire students to pursue their goals with confidence, purpose, and a strong sense of self advocacy, while knowing that Carmen is committed to supporting them through every challenge and triumph.