Community Spotlights
Tauryn King ’12
“The longevity of Steppingstone encourages and emphasizes networking and creates a long-term support system that Scholars and families can rely on. We’ll be here forever,” Tauryn King ’12, Steppingstone’s new Manager of Alumni Relations says.
At just 11 years old, Tauryn joined Steppingstone as a Scholar with hardly an inkling of the long tenure and career she would build at the organization. After spending 12 years as a Scholar and graduating from Providence College, Tauryn joined Steppingstone as a High School Success Advisor. Now in her new full-time role she will act as a direct resource for Steppingstone Alumni, providing career support and building a strong community.
Summers as a Steppingstone Scholar
Tauryn has been a constant at Steppingstone for more than a decade now. She began her journey at Steppingstone’s Academy when she was in the fifth grade, back when the highlight of the program for her was her caring Advisor Mr. Fischel, who was known to bring the Scholars treats.
“As a kid, you don’t fully understand why you have to take classes in the summer,” Tauryn reflects, “but Mr. Fischel, my Academy Advisor, made it a fun experience. He was good at making it feel like we were having a good time while learning.”
Tauryn remembers what it was like to be busy at Milton, to spend her weekends and summers with her peers taking part in classes, extracurricular activities, physical education, and social-emotional learning classes.
She didn’t realize it at the time, but she wasn’t only absorbing class material—she was also learning how to manage “homework, responsibility, accountability, intangible things that you learn at a young age, that later give you drive and motivation.”
That preparation and drive led Tauryn to gain admission to Buckingham Browne and Nichols School (BB&N) and then to earn the full-tuition Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship at Providence College.
Launching a Career at Steppingstone
Like most recent college graduates, Tauryn wasn’t sure about her next steps after college. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Providence College, where she double majored in sociology and political science and minored in Black studies. Tauryn also gave birth to her son just two days after graduating.
She applied to a variety of different roles, but none of them excited her, and then she got a text from her College Success Advisor inviting her to apply for the role of High School Success Advisor at Steppingstone.
“It just felt right,” Tauryn says. “A lot of what Steppingstone had instilled in me since I was a fifth grader was still prevalent and important to me and at the forefront of my mind. Everything happens for a reason.”
Having had an Advisor who was foundational to her experience at Steppingstone and her growth and development, Tauryn understands how critical the role is. Working with Scholars and their families and supporting them on matters such as college choice, scholarships, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and more, Advisors try to implement an inclusive experience for Scholars and their families, Tauryn explains.
“Advisors serve as holistic translators, for not only language barriers, but other types of economic or sociopolitical barriers that need to be translated between families and those education environments,” Tauryn says. “They provide comprehensive care that families and Scholars don’t have access to outside of Steppingstone.”
As an Advisor, Tauryn liked being someone that students can come to for advice, whether it be about school or anything else. “I want to be someone who they can remember in a few years and say, Mrs. King, my High School Advisor was there for me, she was an important person in my life who helped me get here, because those are some of the things that I remember about people who helped me at Steppingstone.”
What makes Steppingstone unique is the longevity of the program, which Tauryn sees as a huge benefit.
“Steppingstone is a resource to come back to, as Alumni, for networking, for questions, and for anything else.”
Creating a Supportive Network for Alumni
After being there for students for more than a year as a High School Success Advisor, Tauryn is now excited to support the Alumni community.
“I like that the role allows me to build relationships across the extensive network of Steppingstone Alumni. As an Alum myself, it is amazing to see the diverse pathways that we have all embarked on,” Tauryn says.
Tauryn is most looking forward to connecting Alumni with Scholars who are currently in the program, especially those in our High School and College Success divisions: “As an Alumna, Steppingstone has welcomed me back with open arms, and I have been privileged to provide direct support for Scholars and families as an Advisor. I hope to develop a pathway that is more accessible for resources between our Alumni and Scholars. A lot of this will be included in the work done for our Career Success initiative.”
Steppingstone is expanding its career readiness programming with the immediate goal to ensure that Scholars leave college with a job offer in the field of their choice. Expanded services will include early exposure to different fields and careers, interactive workshops, and a new career mentoring program, Scholars Thriving through Relationships, Internships, and Valuable Experiences (STRIVE), among other initiatives.
Tauryn is especially excited about STRIVE, in which Steppingstone Alumni and members of the Board of Young Professionals will have monthly workshops with Scholars building relationships and developing skills, and the annual Gala in October, where Steppingstone Scholar accomplishments are celebrated.
This past year, Tauryn worked closely with fellow Steppingstone Alumnus David Meneses-Ontiveros ‘12, a Middle School Success Advisor: “It has been great to come full-circle with him in our work of advising and supporting Scholars.”
Tauryn keeps in contact with other Alumni via our Alumni LinkedIn page. “We also see each other at awesome Alumni reunion/networking events!” Tauryn says. “We support each other by sharing what we currently are working on, and how we could work together.”
Tauryn is excited to step into her new role and eager to connect with Scholars and Alumni. Connect with Tauryn on Steppingstone’s Alumni accounts on LinkedIn and Instagram, or email her at tking@steppingstone.org.
