Keyshawna Jenkins thinks she might want to be a book writer or editor when she’s older.

Gerik Parmele photo

Markiez Smith, left, shows his work in Crossroads to University of Missouri students Sandy Nahrstedt, center, and Alexis Bloom. Last year’s West Boulevard fifth-graders produced the magazine this summer and presented it during a party yesterday at MU’s Townsend Hall.

Then again, being a veterinarian and working with "baby cats and stuff" would be fun, too, the 11-year-old said.

Keyshawna and seven other youngsters got a taste of both careers during a summer program that aimed to give them a glimpse of their future options.

Students who were in Jonette Ford’s fifth-grade class at West Boulevard Elementary this past school year spent three weeks interviewing area professionals and producing a magazine focusing on career choices. Crossroads, a 42-page publication, features stories about artists, writers and teachers, as well as famous black Americans.

Keyshawna’s favorite interviewees were Dorothy Watson, a retired elementary teacher and university professor who now tutors and reviews professional writings, and local veterinarian Tom Rose.

"I liked how Dr. Watson works with people and how she writes books and edits people’s stuff," Keyshawna said. "It’s something I’d like to think about. But I really liked it when we went to the veterinarian. It was fun because he takes care of the animals."

Ford teamed up with her sister, Eryca Neville, to create the magazine project, which was funded through a mini grant from the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Education’s Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum.

"I wanted them to have something to do this summer, something academic," Ford said during the magazine’s debut yesterday at Townsend Hall on the MU campus.

The program was sandwiched between the end of summer school and the beginning of the school year, a lapse during which some kids might not have been working on school-related skills, said Neville, an MU assistant professor of professional practice in the teacher development program.

"We were able to integrate the community, literature and technology and give the kids a chance to work on a project they’re really proud of," she said.

The project also showed children how many options are available to them, something Neville said she didn’t have when she was growing up.

"It was an opportunity to broaden their horizons," she said.

The project also included a tour of the MU campus, which prompted Vince Spears, 11, to think more seriously about higher education.

"I kinda have a better idea" of college, he said. "They talked about a degree and how you get a career in college."

Plus, Vince noted, almost all of the professionals talked about the importance of having a college education.

The project also shed some light on what success means. Almost all of the professionals interviewed said happiness, not money, is the key to success.

"Our definition of success changed," 11-year-old Jackson Cole said. "In the beginning, it was money. Now it’s being satisfied and helping other people."

The full-color magazine will be distributed to the students and those interviewed. Neville said she hopes to create an online version for the public to view.

Neville and Ford also hope to continue the project next summer, possibly using this year’s students as mentors for future groups.

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