WILDCAT WISHES - WHEN GREAT IDEAS BECOME REALITY

Honors College juniors and Wildcat Wishes founders, Steven Harshman and Alexandria Scheid, believe helping communities and giving back is more than a résumé builder – it’s who they are as individuals.

Honors College: What is Wildcat Wishes?

Steven Harshman: The Wildcat Wishes Foundation is an organization we created to support local K-12 educators and improve the learning experience of youth across Tucson. We are raising funds to assist Tucson teachers by providing them with much-needed classroom materials via our Wildcat Wishes Award program. It’s not set up as a 501(c)(3) because we felt the money it would cost to set up a nonprofit would be better off in the hands of teachers. 

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What inspired you to start the Wildcat Wishes Foundation? 

SH: I started Wildcat Wishes in January of 2019. As a freshman, I was looking forward to getting involved in clubs and something that was based on community service. I like working with kids and I think education is incredibly important. I have a lot of great teachers who have helped me, and it was important for me to find something along those lines to get involved with at the University of Arizona.

I was aware of the challenges that many of our local schools, teachers and students face, and I wanted to help. For one of my classes, we had to make theoretical community project proposals. I shared my idea with Alex Scheid and she agreed it was good. I discussed this with some of my other classmates and we decided, “Let's do it!” We wanted to address the big hole, because Arizona public school education is lacking in many areas, and it's consistently ranked among the bottom five in the country. Teachers are wildly underpaid, and we have a lot of Title I schools. Also, Southern Arizona has a large minority population, and giving back to the Hispanic community as well as other minority groups is important to me.

What inequities did you see in the classroom when you were in school?

Alex Scheid: I have always heard my teachers saying how they want to do certain projects or activities in our classes, but they had to spend their own money to do so. They would be breaking their own bank to pay for these things for our benefit. They felt if they left out these activities, they weren’t giving us the best possible education. It honestly broke my heart when I could tell that my teachers were struggling to make ends meet, and they still came to school and gave 100% every single day. When Stephen came to me and asked me to get involved, I eagerly agreed as I knew this was a prominent issue within Tucson. I thought it was a great idea because I wanted to give back to teachers that had inspired me and changed my life, making it so much better.

SH: And it isn’t like the schools here aren’t good – my school (Vail) is one the best in the area, but they just don’t have the necessary resources.

What do most teachers request when they apply?

AS: When we first started, the biggest needs were personal items they wanted for their classrooms: books, whiteboards, a toy chest, and other supplies. Once COVID hit, the requests changed, and teachers wanted masks for their students, or plastic dividers to make the classroom safe. It is horrendous out there.

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What does it feel like when you present the teachers with their award?

SH: It is the best part of our program. You aren’t just giving money to a national foundation, you are going into your community and directly giving teachers funds they need. The biggest payoff for us is to see how grateful they are because not a lot of people in Tucson are doing this. One teacher was crying and giving hugs, when hugs were allowed.

AS: Yes, they want to give you hugs – they are so happy and thankful. It just goes to show that the little things, especially in classrooms that are Title I, make a huge difference.

How do you solicit proposals?

SH: We started by reaching out to school superintendents, asking them to put it in their newsletters. We soon discovered that was not the best way to get the word out. Instead, I decided to share our request for proposals with a list of principals from all the schools. We immediately we had a spike in proposals.

How much money have you raised so far?

SH: Probably about $3,000 over the last two years. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you think that most of our donors are our friends and other students at UArizona, it’s a good start. We have done percentage nights at local restaurants, yard sales, and – of course – social media fundraising. We even worked with the Vail Rotary Club. People are willing to help – and even if it is just $5 or $10, it all adds up and helps. Our friends and students in our classes will reach out and ask how they can help. Sometimes it is a donation for a yard sale, and sometimes it is money. 

How does this work correlate to you being Honors students?

AS: As students of the Honors College, we are strongly encouraged to make a positive impact on our community, and we do not have to wait until after we graduate – it can be right now. With the support of the college, we discovered that we had the ability to do it ourselves.

SH: I feel that the Honors College has contributed to our ability to facilitate something like this. I think most of our members are honor students, and it shows how the Honors College and its students are willing to be involved in this kind of work and in making a difference.

What is the future for Wildcat Wishes?

SH: We will keep doing what we are doing, and we both plan to be here for a long time. All our members are from different areas of Arizona, and we realize their plans can change after graduation. For this reason, we are always looking for new members and supporters!

How can Honors alumni and friends get involved and help?

SH: Alumni and friends of the Honors College can help support Wildcat Wishes in the following ways:

• Share Wildcat Wishes information with members of your community. If you are a parent or K-12 educator, offer insight into the needs of public-school teachers/students.
• Donate directly to their programs to help provide much needed supplies and resources for teachers (wildcat wish awards, ED&I book bundles, etc.).

Steven Harshman and Alexandria Scheid are Southwestern Foundations Scholars. Steven is a physiology major, and Alex is a nursing major. Steven was accepted to the MedCat Honors Early Assurance Program (HEAP), and through this program, will attend the UArizona College of Medicine Tucson starting in Fall 2022.