Special to the
Opelika Observer
Claire Carter and Davis Cox are juniors (and a couple) at Auburn University who became involved with Project Uplift during the fall 2018 semester. They are both from Huntsville.
Carter is majoring in early childhood education and Cox is majoring in business analytics. In high school, they interned for the FCA and worked all summer getting to be with kids. Upon arriving to Auburn University, they realized that they missed getting to pour into the lives of kids.
However, they learned of Project Uplift and were so excited for the opportunity to continue to share their passion for children. In September 2018, they became mentors to Zionna and Ziquan.
Carter and Cox hang out with Zionna and Ziquan at least once a week for approximately two hours. Some of their favorite things to do with their big sister and brother are going to the Monkey Park or Hickory Dickory Park; they love swinging, running and playing in the creek and looking at the fish.
This experience with Project Uplift has been most beneficial to Zionna and Ziquan, as well as Carter and Cox. When asked how beneficial this experience has been for them and what valuable lessons they’ve learned, Claire said, “This has been such a beneficial experience for us. We look forward to this time every week and hope the kids do, as well. We have grown so close and are able to joke with each other, laugh with each other, and also talk about some serious things. We have learned how important it is to invest in the younger generation and how much we can learn from them. We are always learning about new songs, new dance moves, new terms, but most importantly, we have learned how to lead by example. We have watched as the kids mimic our words and actions. We make sure all we do is done out of love and kindness so that they will hopefully mimic that.”
For more information about Project Uplift, visit cla.auburn.edu/projectuplift/.