With the help of the Talent Development Program, the Talent Development Student Board started to raise awareness for themselves after getting re-recognized by the Student Senate post-COVID-19.
TDSB held their first fundraiser, selling candy for $5 on Feb. 14 outside the Carothers Library to fund the club, said Jesus Alverdi Cante, a second-year student double majoring in psychology and human development family science. By the end of it, they had raised $280.
“We want to have more funds to be able to buy more things for the club and help people feel welcomed,” Alverdi Cante said.
TDSB needed to get re-recognized by the senate because when COVID-19 came, the club died out as most high schools were virtual at the time, Alverdi Cante said. TDSB is part of TD and people forgot that TD helps disadvantaged first generation students afford tuition.
The TDSB is a club made up of students in the TD program or TD scholars, Alverdi Cante said. These students are usually disadvantaged or can’t afford college so they went through a summer program to receive support. After the summer program, people might separate from each other, so TDSB is there to bring them back together.
The club helped him when he was struggling in his first year of college as a first generation student, Alverdi Cante said. Once he joined it, he realized he wanted to help other students who felt like they didn’t have a reason to be in college, or that people didn’t care about them.
“I wanted to be the person to bring these students to people who care and were in the same boat because we’re not alone in this situation and we want to make a change,” Alverdi Cante said.
TDSB needed an advisor to support the club so Kristina Moyet, the associate director of TD, agreed to serve, she said. Her job is to help the student board understand their mission and work of their organization. She ensures their events align with the goal and purpose of the club.
“[TDSB] are a wonderful group of students that show their identity really centers on being a TD scholar and fully integrate within the community,” Moyet said.
She helped out with the candy fundraiser by finding the perfect location, Moyet said. It had to be somewhere appropriate where it would be accessible to other students outside of the TD program and the network.
The club has also helped her professionally and personally, Moyet said. When she was an undergraduate at the University of Rhode Island, she was a TD scholar. During her time, TDSB didn’t exist yet. If it did, she would’ve felt a sense of belonging and like a part of the community within the group.
“So for me, it was an organization that aligns with my values as both an advisor and an alum of URI,” Moyet said.
TDSB’s next fundraiser will be at Chipotle in East Greenwich on Saturday, March 23 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m..