#SoCanU: From CC to PhD, an adult student proves it's never too late to go back to college

Featured below is an interview with another #SoCanU project rockstar, Jan! Jan graduated from Clatsop Community College in 2006 graduated with her bachelor's degree at Pacific University Magna Cum Laude with a triple major in art, creative writing, and literature. She is currently a PhD candidate. 

Favorite thing to do on the weekends? 
I love church with my Welsh friends, Skyping family in the US, and reading or watching episodes of Star Trek!

Favorite food/meal?
Homemade fish and chips... sooooooo incredibly good.

What made you decide to choose community college? 
It was the nearest school and as a "more mature" student (I graduated high school in 1965 - seriously!), it just felt like a great place to start.

Were there any obstacles in your life prior to attending community college that you had to overcome? 
 My father didn't think girls needed further education as he thought educated women took jobs from men, who would ultimately provide for families. 

I disagree and feel that an educated populace is the way to peace. All eight of my children have been educated beyond high school and are currently giving back to the world, being part of the solution to today's challenges...and four of them are girls!

What obstacles did you overcome in community college and/or in your transfer university to achieve your degree? 
I didn't realize that there can be some prejudice in universities toward transfer students. I became VP and then President of Connections, a program designed to help those in transition. It was great to be part of the solution.

What is one of the most important things that helped you succeed in community college and beyond? 
Reaching out and becoming involved, exercising curiosity about others, and a having a desire to learn.

What are you most excited about for your future right now? 
I will finish my PhD in Creative Writing in 2015 and graduate in with my cohort in 2016. I've written an historic novel, learned to research, developed a network of friends all over the world and look forward to lecturing, writing, and sharing what I have gained. 

What is the best piece of advice you can give our readers who are currently attending community college? 
Learn more than is assigned, dream big, and above all, ask questions and discover how to find answers. By doing this you will also become part of the solution to humanity's challenges and make the world a better place.

An open letter to first generation college students

Hi,

My name is Isa and I'm a first generation college graduate. 

Traditionally, that means I was the first in my family to get a bachelor's degree. I also have a master's degree.

I started in community college, and my sophomore year I won the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, which provided me $30,000 per year to finish my bachelor's degree and $50,000 for a master's degree.

I fell weak at the knees and wept when I found out the news. All that kept running through my head was this:

"People like me don't get master's degrees."

Where did that come from? I later thought.

I was a high achiever. And this was America for goodness sake. I could be anything I wanted to be, even President, right?

But somewhere, deep down, in a place I didn't even know existed, I had internalized the messages, the media, and the scripts I'd seen around me.

Logically, anyone who succeeds is a "person" like me. I knew that of course. But, logical or not, we tend to group ourselves into types of people, and sometimes we tell ourselves what we can or cannot do based on that.

And worst of all, sometimes others (e.g. society) try to group us or tell us what we can or cannot do.

---

None of my grandparents had an education past the fourth grade. I wouldn't be here today if not for their hard work.

Also, I'm biracial: one parent is Puerto Rican and the other is White. When asked my race I was always confused that I had to check "White." I didn't feel totally White. Then when I got to ethnicity I could check Hispanic. Though I never totally felt like that either; I loved rice and beans, but I didn't speak Spanish and couldn't, for the life of me, roll my r's.

 I never felt like I knew how to be politically correct even when talking about myself. I still don't.

So when the phrase"people like me" popped into my head for the first time, I think I had somehow internalized all of the above. While I was still trying to figure out who I was, somewhere without my knowing it I had put a ceiling on myself.

I was recently at a Harvard Institute on the Achievement Gap and one of the professors told a story about the fleas in a glass jar experiment. Essentially, fleas were put in a jar without a lid and they quickly jumped out. They were put back in, this time with a lid. They tried to jump out but were stopped by the lid.

Eventually, the fleas adjusted their jumping height so they wouldn't hit the lid. When the experimenter took the lid off, the fleas didn't jump out. They couldn't understand the limits were gone because they'd already adjusted their expectations.

---

I'm writing this crazy letter (off the beaten path from my normal tone) because I just finished reading a book on youth development that talked about racial and ethnic identity development as well as what people go through when they are socially mobile (i.e. first generation college students who break barriers in their family).

The book poignantly put into words a certain moments in  my university experience that I never quite understood.

Moments where I couldn't figure out why I didn't feel like I had any really close friends. Moments where I didn't understand why I wasn't bonding with people. Moments when I had to look up what Seven for All Mankind was (a humanities course?) and moments where I thought maybe something was wrong with me.

The book I just finished on development made me want to cry. For good reasons. I felt validated. It talked about how those who break barriers and are socially mobile can feel a lot of strife when they make that leap, especially when they are the first in their family to do so or are transcending to an economically/socially "upperclass" place that is foreign and uncomfortable.

After reading this, no joke, I ran across my apartment to my computer. And that brings me to this moment.

I realized if I felt this way after reading this passage then there must be others who feel the same, and I can't bear that they might have to experience another second of feeling alone in this.

I wish I could tell you, like in my traditional blog posts, exactly what to do to make this better. To fit in as you break barriers. To magically feel comfortable all the time.

But I can't.

What I can tell you is this:

It will be uncomfortable. It will be hard. But here is what I want  you to remember.

In moments when you feel like you aren't fitting in, it most likely means you're a trailblazer.

I'm going to say that again:

In moments when you feel like you aren't fitting in, it most likely means you're a trailblazer.

This is the part of the American Dream no one really talks about. That sometimes it's really uncomfortable and really hard and sometimes you wonder why you're striving so much in the first place, if it's really worth it.

That's why I'm writing this. For any of you who've ever felt that. I want to tell you three very important things, so listen closely:

1) You are not alone.

2) Keep going.

3) Thank you.

Thank you for doing this. For getting through the tough stuff. For not giving up. Because when you keep going you become one more person for another to look to and say "hey, people like me can do this!"

It defies all logic. We know we're not fundamentally different based on how we look or how much money we have.

But it doesn't change the fact that it's powerful and affirming to have a role model you can identify with. And for too may groups of people, whether self-defined or societally defined, that's not always the case in our mass mediated culture.

So if you can't find the role model, the person like you doing what you're doing, or the person like you at your college, it just might mean you're doing something profoundly important for all of us.

Don't stop.

Sincerely,

Isa

3 Ways to Make Your Summer More Productive

Your chance at a $5,500 scholarship and a chance to make a difference

I recently went on a school tour in my community with City Year and had to share it with you as it's something I wish I would have known about before I graduated college. 

City Year is a highly regarded national service program for students ages 17-24 where students dedicate a year to helping students in public schools; benefits include a living stipend for your year of service as well as a $5,500 education award upon completion. 

On my tour, I was struck by the innocent faces of the children (I toured a Title I elementary school), the dedication of the principal, and the joy of the City Year corps members. 

Khady in her City Year uniform.

Our tour guide, a corps member, had a particular spark that radiated both from her smile and her glittery glasses. 

As we continued the tour I found out our tour guide's name was Khady and that she too was a community college graduate. While finishing her Bachelor's degree at UCF she is also working full time as a City Year corps member. 

Below is an interview with Khady so you can learn more about her journey and why City Year has been such a great experience for her so far. Being a City Year Corps member is a competitive process and it's quite an honor to be accepted. I hope her advice below will help!

You can also jump here to learn how to apply to City Year! 

Some fast facts about Khady: 

She started community college in 2009 after graduating high school and got her A.A. in Spring 2013 from Valencia College. She is majoring in psychology and is expected to graduate from UCF in 2015. She enjoys watching Netflix and Hulu and her favorite foods are salads and smoothies. 

1. Why did you choose community college?

I couldn't afford university and didn't know what I wanted to do. Valencia was near by and I knew some administration. I thought it would be good fit for me to grow.

2. Were there any obstacles you had to overcome in your life that helped you become who you are today?

Not knowing what I wanted to do and not having a solid foundation of college educated people; I wasn't driven. Not having a drive to do school or to be educated I didn't do well at first. After working in the "real world" and seeing a cap on my potential I knew I needed to get back in school and Valencia was the place for me.

3. What was one thing you did in community college that helped you be successful?

Taking time to study and read was beneficial. Valencia is a group based school and working in groups was so helpful that I brought that technique into my studies at UCF.

4. What drew you to City Year?

City Year found me. I was at school and saw the City Year booth. I read up on some things and saw that it was service based organization. My background is in service so I was interested. Seeing the benefits and also what I could do for our country, I knew it was a fit for me. I even met the recruiter through a friend and he was such a great help in the application process.

5. What have you loved about being involved about City Year so far?

I love being able to work with the scholars. Teaching them is different then what I have done with children before but it's a learning process. 

I also am the outreach coordinator at Catalina Elementary School through City Year. This is a fun part of my responsibilities because I get to write a monthly service briefing on what's going in our school. I also enjoy being the one to take all our guest around and show them the impact that City Year is doing.

6. How do you feel City Year is helping you grow towards your goals?

The work load is rigorous and time consuming. I feel as though once I graduate from my service at City Year I can do anything.

7. Doing City Year and going to college full time is a lot of work! Would you recommend this or recommend doing it after college?

I would recommend City Year for after college or right after high school. The work load is a lot. You are required to work a certain amount of hours for AmeriCorps certification. With the required hours for City Year and the required hours to be a dedicated college student its too much for a normal person. But it is doable.

8. What is one thing that has helped you manage your time the most and not let your grades slip while working full time?

Time management is an important part of my life. I have been working with my impact manager on how I am using my time and also what I can do to benefit my life and school. 

It's been a balancing act because I also have to go to the chiropractor from a serious car accident that I was in the day before City Year started. I have my iPhone that has a calendar filled with my responsibilities and I make sure that I check it daily/weekly to make sure I don't miss any due dates for school or City Year.

9. What advice do you have to a reader who would like to apply for City Year?

Read into the organization. Stay on top of deadlines if you are serious about applying. Look into other cites in America if you are looking for different scenery as well. 

Something I wish I did was travel to a different state like some of my team mates but I'm happy to be helping my home state. If you have questions I'm willing to answer via email: hgraydon@cityyear.org.

10. What do you hope to do after you graduate as a career?

I want to be a psychologist and have my own private family practice. I want to work with children and married couples incorporating art and music for therapeutical treatment.

Learn more about City Year at cityyear.org or jump right here to apply!

College To-Do List: Week 5

The end of the fall semester is here, and there's one more thing I recommend you do before you leave campus and head home for a few weeks! Check out the short video below to find out what it is. :)

Calling all community college students: America needs you

I just came back from speaking to a community college in New York City and was excited to have an extra day to walk around Manhattan.

My grandparents moved from Puerto Rico to New York City to find jobs. They didn't speak English, had 4th-grade educations, and lived in the projects in the Bronx. But they found jobs that allowed them to eventually buy a home, raise a family, and make it possible for me to go to college. 

New York City represents so much of the American Dream profoundly realized.

And yet New York City, like many cities, illustrates the income gap that is growing around the country. The closeness of city life makes the juxtaposition of extreme success and extreme poverty so visible.

In the city you can see the literal heights of success - tall buildings, bustling business, million-dollar apartments, high-end fashion. But coexisting on the same streets is the most dire poverty - a homeless veteran, a pregnant woman stranded and trying to get bus fare home. There are so many looking up for help, and yet so many walking by. 

What can be tough about aspiration is that sometimes we're so focused on looking up and moving forward that we can forget the inequality around us.

Success is often viewed as a perpetual climb, and the ethos teaches us to keep wanting more, more, more. 

But the old adage when climbing great heights - "don't look down" - isn't one we should follow when pursuing success. 

We must look down, behind, back, and around. Moving forward alone isn't really moving forward. 

It can be harder for people who become accustomed to extreme wealth to see the inequality. For those who know poverty, who have looked into the eyes of it, maybe even in the mirror, it can be harder to forget.

That is why it's vital to make sure that anyone who has experienced poverty has the opportunity at a great education.

This is my passion.

That passion is why I believe in community college students and why I write this blog. 

Because community colleges are places that allow people from humble beginnings to break the cycles of poverty and create better lives for themselves and their communities.

Community college students are bridge builders. 

And I want you to remember that every time you're struggling in class, every time you're not sure how you're going to make ends meet, every time you worry that you aren't "college material," every time you don't know what to do with your life, and every time you feel like you just can't move forward. 

With every class, with every A, with every degree, you are building an important bridge, for yourself and so many others around you.

Keep building, and along the way, bring others with you to share the view.  

How celebrities are playing a part in encouraging education

Would having a celebrity call to wake you up in the morning help encourage you to get up and get to class?

That's just one innovative way the non-profit Get Schooled is mixing "sizzle with substance" to encourage students to graduate high school and reach their educational goals. 

I recently spoke with Marie Groark, the executive director of the Get Schooled, about her college journey, what it's like to have such a cool job, and more about what Get Schooled is doing to help students across the country reach their goals. 

Marie grew up in what was then one of the poorest cities in the country - Hartford, Connecticut. Marie owes her college success to her mom: "I was in my second week in an honors English class and I decided the class was too hard for me. I asked the teacher if I could switch out and she said 'sure no problem.' When I came home and told my mom the class was too hard, wow, you should have seen the look on her face. It was that moment I realized you don't set low expectations in our family. I stayed in the class."

While Marie knows every student needs this important blend of encouragement and high expectation, she knows millions of students do not get that from their parents. "You really see the stark difference when you’re growing up among that poverty," she said of her childhood in Hartford. This disparity inspired Marie to work in education.

However, like most college students, she still wasn't sure what to do when she graduated college. She first got a job in the District Attorney's office in New York: "I thought maybe I should be a lawyer. But then I saw tons of 15 and 16 year olds who had committed these crimes. And I knew that I just had to stay focused on education."

Marie went on to become a high school social studies teacher and attended graduate school at Columbia University Teachers College and then the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.  

Marie is a great example of how passion plus higher education can lead to incredible job opportunities. But she explains how it takes time: "In your undergraduate years you don’t always realize how big the world is and how many places you can go or how many different paths you can take. Getting out of my comfort zone and meeting new people was huge."

In addition to being a teacher Marie also worked for IBM and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And then she joined Get Schooled to help bridge the gaps she saw growing up. 

I could hear her voice brighten when she said: "We want to help young people see their potential, set high expectations for themselves, and believe that they can reach those goals. We then want to give them access to the information they need to make those dreams a reality."

Marie sees her current job as her dream job. By mixing her passion for education with pop culture, she believes they can really make an impact by meeting students right where they are and speaking to them through the role models they're already listening to. 

In her work, Marie works with middle and high schools, corporate partners, and celebrities to bring content, inspiration, and tools to students in entertaining ways that will ensure they actually get the message. 

In short, substance with sizzle. 

One of their biggest projects includes their attendance challenge where high schools compete to have a celebrity be "principal for the day" at their school (which includes the celebrity speaking to classes, making announcements on the loud speaker, and sometimes performing at an assembly). 

Marie says the adults in the high schools are often blown away by the amazing things that happen when you invite young people to be a part of the education conversation. As Marie puts it, "Education isn't something that should happen to kids, but something that is done with them in full partnership." 

They'll soon be rolling out another challenge to help more young people fill out their FAFSA to attend college. 

The earlier students can begin to see the value in showing up to school, setting goals, working hard, and establishing relationships with positive role models, the better our entire educational system and economy will be. The more I work in higher education, the more I see how crucial high school is. 

If you're in college, I encourage you to think about how you might go back and help mentor students at your high school. Or perhaps think about how your campus club could do a project to reach out, motivate, tutor, and/or mentor high school students in your local area. High school students are in desperate need of more one-on-one college guidance, and while you may not be Beyoncé, you can certainly have just as big of an impact. 

And finally, I just had to share with you the great advice Marie shared when I asked her about figuring out what you want to do with your college education and finding your dream job: "Realize that success often happens in smaller steps than we would like, and it's almost never a clear A to Z path - it's often very curvy. If someone had told me in college I'd be doing this I would have been like "really? really?!?" It was a lot about building different skills and meeting a lot of amazing people along the way. Do your best every day and take advantage of every opportunity, because you truly never know where each opportunity will lead."

To keep up with Get Schooled or get your own celebrity wake up call check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and GetSchooled.com.