Boyd: The students I serve through FC-CIS are like ‘family’

Korbyn Boyd, one of two Site Coordinator at Clarke Central, was raised in nonprofits. Both of her parents worked in service of others, so after an earlier career in marketing and PR, Korbyn couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join the work of Family Connection-Communities In Schools.

FC-CIS sat down with Korbyn to talk about the struggles of many high school students and what support she and her partner provide.

FC-CIS: How would you describe the “vibe” in your office?

KORBYN: It’s more family than office- that’s the vibe that my partner and I wanted for our kids. A lot of them don’t have the support outside the school or even inside that they think they need.

FC-CIS: What are the most common challenges the students on your caseload face?

KORBYN: For some of my kids- it’s academics- whether it’s getting them on track or keeping them on track for college. I have a lot of athletes that want to play in college, but they might not understand exactly what they need to be able to do that.

FC-CIS: Academics isn’t the only issues that students face. What about challenges outside of the classroom?

KORBYN: Some of them may be fine in academics, but others have personal struggles. It could be social or family issues. Sometimes, we host a counseling session so that kids can be heard. Sometimes, we’ll do activities with them to connect. It depends on what our kids are going through- so whether it’s violence or gangs- we tailor it to our small group to work with them.

FC-CIS: How do you support the counselors and social workers who may have hundreds of students?

KORBYN: For us, our numbers are smaller, and we are able to have more intimate one-on-ones. Our counselors do have the conversations but, sometimes, our kids can go under the radar. There aren’t big, red flags that say they might drop out or that this kid is having issues. And we can identify them, and build relationships, so they feel comfortable enough to talk with us.

FC-CIS: How do you feel about getting to work with these students through FC-CIS?

KORBYN: I can definitely say from having two careers- with this one, I feel more fulfilled. There are tough days when you feel like you’re failing your kids or something’s not going the way you want it to go, but there are more days when a student comes up and hugs you and says, ‘Thank you.’

To hear more of Korbyn’s experiences and insights, please watch the video.

For more information on the Site Coordinators, please visit the Site Coordinators page.