Feature photo by: Jessica Rangel- Justin TenEyck catches up with former Rangeview student Bishop Biernacki. College Track not only provides help throughout high school but they also continue keeping up with students throughout college.
Walking into the College Track site, the first person to greet everyone with a smile and welcoming arms is Justin TenEyck. Most people that meet TenEyck can agree that he has created quite the reputation for himself around the site, being known as a positive energy for his students and staff.
“He is amazing,” colleague Veronica Gonzalez mentions. “Justin has such a big heart and he really connects with people regardless of their age. He has great relationships with students and he also is just very committed to our community.”
TenEyck first discovered College Track originally as a volunteer back in 2012, while his wife interned as a wellness mentor. As TenEyck pursued his Master’s degree in higher education, he searched for any part time job he could take. Unexpectedly, a part time position as the Student Life Coordinator happened to open up.
TenEyck immediately took the role and from there on, his career at College Track began. Becoming the Student Life Director, TenEyck’s responsibility became to work with the high school students involved in the program and help them to think about their dreams and find reasonable ways to achieve them.
“I help students cultivate their passions and dreams through experiential learning opportunities, community service, and even identity development,” states TenEyck.
Coming from a family that lived paycheck to paycheck and being surrounded by people with wealth and a different skin color, TenEyck grew up understanding the struggle of needing outside support. Working at College Track, TenEyck sees himself in a lot of his students and is able to be the person to provide that extra motivation.
“I love College Track and all the different people I get to meet with such youthful energies.” TenEyck goes on to say, “Most importantly I love that I get to impact my own community by teaching people that look like me and people that have experiences like me about everything I have learned, meanwhile, helping people develop into their own identities whether it be racial, gender, sexuality or even transitioning into college student.”
As TenEyck bounces his personality throughout the site every day, many students have been left inspired by him and felt a sense of comfort when attending College Track, aware that he will be there to acknowledge everyone as an individual
Junior Laura Vargas says, “I hope I have the chance to meet more people like him. I love going to College Track knowing that Justin will be there to check in on me and see how I am doing.”
Working at College Track for around six years, TenEyck has managed to implement his own passions into his work by creating multiple workshops for students to attend, such as Brotherhood. In this workshop, TenEyck guides young men into understanding what masculinity really means and creating a safe space for them to be in.
“Justin is a trusting mentor not only in Brotherhood but in everyday life. You can always go to him if you need somebody to talk to, making him almost like a father figure for the whole site,” states senior Andres Marquez.
TenEyck doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon; the family he has created within the small community is something he doesn’t want to leave behind.
TenEyck concludes by saying, “I don’t do this work for money. I do it to grow professionally and I do it because I love it. I do it because I want to be here.”
For more information on what College Track is and how to get involved check out this link: https://collegetrack.org/
