Written by Mattea Ortiz
Video by Andy Melien
Keshley Carmona graduated from EVOLUTIONS (EVO) in the late 2000s, telling herself that she’d put her future child in the program. Her daughter Keshley Colon now calls the program a “second home” as she enters her junior year of high school.
EVOLUTIONS is a 21-year-old afterschool program at the Yale Peabody Museum focused on tours of the museum’s collections, college prep and job/internship opportunities for public high schoolers in New Haven and West Haven.
Having both participated in the program, Colon said it’s a great an opportunity to meet new people,” with her mother recalling it as a “wonderful experience.” Lead Educator of Youth Engagement at the Peabody and 2018 graduate of EVO, Aaliyah Shabazz, agrees.
“I believe that the program is a great place to make lifelong connections,” she said. “EVO is where I met some of my closest friends and it has been so great to see students form their own connections.”
For Colon, one of the more important aspects of EVO has been the teachers, which tend to be Yale students or EVO alumni who understand the layout of the program and can see themselves in the students. She describes them as being exceptionally patient and focused on student success.
“Having alums working for the program is another way that EVO really prioritizes preparing students for the next step of life,” said Shabazz.
The program has given Colon an opportunity to try and learn new things, such as basket weaving. She’s also appreciated the help she got to prepare for the SAT, as well as the ability to meet the collections staff, which she said all seemed “really passionate.”
Carmona joined because of her own interest in science after finding out about it through a high school science teacher. Moving to Connecticut from Puerto Rico at the age of four, she said she feels that EVO “held my hand” through the college application process, as she had few people to reach out to for guidance at the time. "It fed my curiosity and understanding of things,” said Carmona.
Having had such a great experience, Carmona encouraged Colon to give it a try.
“Word of mouth is so important for any program, so having alums who are so vocal about how this program benefitted them has helped us grow both in numbers but in opportunities we’re able to offer current students,” said Shabazz.
Through EVO, both have worked on the museum floor as members of Sci. CORPS, a position that trains students to be gallery educators throughout the museum.
Colon has appreciated the training she’s received on how to talk to different age groups, and how to prepare for professional workspaces. “Everything is connected,” she said. “I feel comfortable. It’s opened me up a lot.”
Her mom’s experience with Sci. CORPS displays that preparation. Carmona said the position impacted her career as a healthcare worker who helps people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. “It literally molded a path for me,” she said.
EVO leaves the doors open for alumni to return, allowing students in college to continue their work at Sci. CORPS. Shabazz and her colleagues also recruit recent college graduates through a fellowship, allowing them to take a hand in running the program.
“I think EVO holds a special place in the hearts of many of our alumni,” said Shabazz. “Being an EVO alum myself, I take great pride in seeing all of the ways the program has expanded over the years.”
Sci. CORPS has already contributed to Colon’s desired career path. A team field trip to the Sacred Heart Discovery Science Center and Planetarium inspired Colon to become an aerospace engineer.
Inspired by this interest, Colon has begun teaching herself Russian, one of the two main languages of the International Space Station. She was able to use this new skill when educating a woman from Russia who visited the Peabody. Colon remembered the woman being very excited, teaching her new words and taking a photo with her.
Though Carmona and Colon are at different stages of life, EVO has made an important impact on both, giving Carmona opportunities that weren’t accessible before and a chance to offer those to her daughter.