Berea College Experience

I have an innate want to succeed.” Kennedi, who received a scholarship to Howard University, the historically black university in Washington, D.C., describes her first impression of Howard University as a community filled with well-rounded black people, a notion that many others share with her. She also shared her favorite Howard memory: her first week on Howard’s campus when she first heard and sang the words to the Black National Anthem, “lift every voice and sing till earth and heaven ring,” in unison with hundreds of other Howard University students and staff all while holding up her fist. Although Kennedi’s first impression of Howard University is heart- warming.

I am an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Springfield, Massachusetts. In truth, I came here out of boredom and frustration. After struggling intensely with my mental health during my brief time in college, I made the decision to leave school and focus on getting better. In the meantime, I became a barista. The one redeeming quality of the job was interacting with members of my hometown community that I wouldn’t otherwise meet, and yet all the while I was yearning for something greater.

As a gay Asian man from a low-income and immigrant family, I have obtained an intersection of various perspectives. I have had many obstacles in my life, such as coming out, struggling financially, and helping my parents navigate this country. These obstacles have provided perspectives that many individuals may not have acquired. They motivate me to help those with similar circumstances to lead happy lives. Providing these different perspectives to Temple University’s student body allows the community to see the diverse aspects of others and to understand more of the various circumstances and complexity of human life.

and I understand the obstacles that they are going through. My passion for helping people led me to work in multiple community services like WILD where I renovated abandoned parks, making it more accessible to the community. I also participated in cleaning the Duwamish River and making sure warning signs are visible for those that tries to fish in the river. I have learned to spend my time wisely. I started

After graduating from MHS, the next challenge in my mission to ascend from my circumstances was to become the best student at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). With consideration of my mother not graduating high school, it was imperative and self- driving that I reward her sacrifices by excelling in my academic career. Eager to outperform, consequently, I earned the Smeal Merit Diversity Scholarship for three consecutive years (Freshmen-Junior) at Penn State. This prestigious scholarship is only awarded to the top five minority business students at Penn State. In addition to my academic successes, I became very active on campus and served as a leader at the top of four different campus-organizations.

Chester County, Pennsylvania’s public education system afforded me the opportunity for an enriched academic experience, as well as an opportunity to connect socially with people of all different races. Coming from a family who pushed academics, I always found myself to be one, of three black students in my honors and AP classes. I believed I could not relate with the majority of black students socially and academically, which is why I separated myself from them. In the rise of my freshman year I joined the Black Student Union (BSU) hoping to learn more about black culture and acquire new relationships with my black peers. Fortunately, the mission of the BSU was to create awareness about black culture, in hopes to diminish prejudice not only in the school but also in the community.

ASB has been a core component of my undergraduate experience, because it has not only altered how I view and relate to myself, but also how I view and relate to the world. For the past three years, ASB has had a remarkable way of meeting me in the midst of my brokenness and supplying me with the time and space to put myself back together. My freshman year, I was struggling with feeling alien on our campus. Although I had a large group of friends and had fallen in love with the Vanderbilt community, I still felt like I was somehow not a “true” Vanderbilt student since certain lifestyle choices didn’t align with the campus majority. My first ASB made me realize what walls I had been holding up, and hearing life maps made me feel more connected to the Vanderbilt community as a whole.

The college decision process can be very overwhelming for any high school senior who is unsure of which school is the best fit for them. As a second-semester sophomore at TCU, I can even remember the unsettling feeling of not knowing which college was the right fit for me. I specifically remember having no idea until I attended a Monday at TCU. I felt so comfortable and welcomed during my daylong visit that I realized I could see myself becoming a Horned Frog and I still feel this level of comfort in many ways today. Whether it’s the familiar faces around campus or simply from our school’s beautiful buildings and landscaping, I always feel very comfortable walking around campus.

Arapahoe Community College: The Parent

Philosophy of the community college that Addison makes it precise and straight to the point that it’s an amazing stepping stone for everyone. For the less privilege, for the people who do not know what career path to choose, and for those who refuse to drop one thousand dollars on just one class. Though for some reason that community colleges are not as popular as universities. Any student or any who want to become a student can walk into a community college and literally

As a first generation college bound student, after joining Upward Bound, I have gained the skills to recognize and be proactive when I am struggling academically. I am not only able to identify aspects that is causing me difficulties but also able to create a realistic plan that fits with my learning process. I have also gained the confidence, motivation, and skills to balance and multi-task a schedule that includes a full-time academic schedule, multiple extra-curricular activities, and community services. For example, when I decided to take dual enrollment college courses through Minnesota’s Postsecondary Education Option program, I still maintained my many commitments to Harding Senior High School and volunteer activities. At first it

My imperfections and flaws are ultimately also a product of my interaction with my community, although I did not realize this until being exposed to a different environment and culture. The Northside community has demonstrated me the beauty of living with people from different backgrounds. The sharing of our cultural heritage and values provides an opportunity to grow and learn from each other. Through these experiences, I have discovered a lot about myself and about the strong influence my community has had in shaping me into the person I am

Since my childhood, I have been disturbed by inequality and injustice in the world. I felt like a solitary beacon of humanitarianism upon a coast of apathy and egoism. The idea of college life, then, was unnerving to me; I imagined attending a school full of ruthlessly competitive students of my own caliber or higher, indifferent to the plights of others. Finding Brandeis was a profound relief for my stressed self. The prospect of attending a school founded on a desire for equality, where students interact amiably and noncompetitively, seemed a dream come true.

I had the freedom to ruin my academic career. I also had the freedom to thrive in my new environment in a way that was previously impossible. This experience more than any other taught me about the planning, resourcefulness, and independence college demands in order to succeed. Consequently, I realized the skills of planning, resourcefulness and independence are not unique to college, but a fundamental aspect to living a successful live during adulthood.

In the fall, I believe focusing on diversity and inclusion is critical to the first year experience. Northwestern students come from such a wide variety of backgrounds and geographic locations, and most students do not know anyone other than a roommate when coming to campus for the first time. As a result, Wildcat Welcome and the first few weeks of school turn into a frenzy as everyone desperately tries to find friends, and in this desperate search, it is easy to resort to making connections with people similar to oneself. However, with students from every walk of life and corner of the globe, there is so much to be achieved by creating relationships and maintaining a dialogue with students of different cultures, backgrounds, and opinions.