Update

I just wanted to check in really quick and let you all know that I love and miss you but will be taking an undetermined hiatus from writing this blog while I work on my second book.

I'll explain more soon - just wanted to let you know why I was MIA. Please use the search box to the right freely to find any CC advice you're looking for. I wrote this blog for four years so hopefully most questions you have are already answered. I'm still active on social media so please stay in touch and feel free to ask me questions via Twitter @IsaAdney!

And as research for my next book I'd LOVE to know what your dream is. To let me know just type #MyDreamis2 and then fill in the rest and tag me @IsaAdney at the end if you have room. Thank you!! :)

#TBT: Community college isn’t 13th grade

The video below was filmed September 2011. Almost three years ago.

To be honest it's a little awkward for me to watch myself three years ago. But I can't help but remember that when I was filming it - just a totally amateur video from my dining room - I had no idea it would be viewed by over 20,000 people. I feel like a different person now than I was then, but I’m so glad I started early.

One of my favorite concepts from the book The Promise of a Pencil was when author Adam Braun said that the great thing about going for things when you're young is just that you're so young that you don't even know what you can't do -  so you do it any way.

I love that, and I want to extend that same sentiment to you.

There’s something you have to say. Something you can do. A problem you can make better. Go do it.

Don’t worry about your age or whether you know enough. As I dig deeper and deeper into education, I'm learning that you’ll NEVER know it all. And to be honest, most of the time your gut instincts are right on.

Put yourself out there and just GO. Trust me, if I can do it...#SoCanU! ;)

[Insert Your Dream Here] - My next book

So, I'm going to officially make this public:

I've just started the process of writing my next book. The working title is [Insert Your Dream Here], and it was inspired by my experience almost, but not quite, getting into Harvard. 

While Harvard was never my ultimate dream, it was something I certainly thought would give me a huge boost towards moving closer to my dreams. And when it didn't work out, I questioned everything. 

Sure, the logical part of my brain knew that it was an honor to make it to the top 50 and get an interview, and that I could probably get in if I tried again. 

But the non-logical part of me, the part I'm going to call, "the meanie brain", said something like this:

"Isa you're an absolute idiot!!! What in the world ever made you think you could get into Harvard?! Do you know who you are and where you come from? What in the world are you thinking? You think 'dreams' actually come true?! Ha! What an idiot. You're delusional and if you think you're going to actually do anything you dream of doing in your life you're just stupid. Give up all these silly dreams now and just grow up, okay? Life is not about dreams and it's not exciting and you just need to suck it up and give it up."

Harsh, right? 

The logical part of me as well as the dreamer part pushed back against this meanie and led me to read The Alchemist again. It's an allegory about achieving your dreams, and I love it.

However, after reading it, I still found myself wanting to learn more about how all this played out in real life. I wondered:

Are there people out there who've achieved a dream?
How did they overcome their meanie brain?
How did they feel when a failure struck and how did they move forward?
How did they know when they just needed to keep being persistent or when it was time to pivot in some way?
What advice would they give to others who desperately want to achieve a dream, especially in moments when they feel like everything is telling them to give up?
Does the 10,000 hours/10 years theory apply to dreams? 
Can you really achieve something with disciplined focus and work alone?

And the idea for my next book was born.

Over the next few months I'm going to be interviewing 100 people who've reached a big dream that they had.

I've already conducted quite a few interviews with some pretty incredible people, and their insight and advice has already been profound. 

I don't want to give it all away yet, but I do want to leave you with this big insight that is already coming through:

The biggest obstacle to achieving your dreams is you.

So far everyone I've talked to has, without my asking about this issue directly, expressed how difficult it was to overcome their own self-doubt, but how crucial it is to actually getting somewhere you want to go.

I wanted to share this with you now so that, even before my next book comes out (it will probably be a while), you'll know that when you hear that meanie part of your brain you can:

1. Know that you're not alone.
2. Know that its a complete liar.
3. Push past it and keep going. 

That is something all the dreamers I've interviewed so far had in common. They all failed. They all doubted. They all struggled. They all had moments where the "I think I can" idea waned and they thought "what if I can't?" The difference seems to be that they kept going anyway. 

Why? 

That's the big question. Because their dream was that that important to them. As one interviewee said, there's nothing else he'd rather be trying to do. 

So let me ask you this: 

Why are you in college?

Take some time today to journal an answer that question. Or if you're not in college, journal about what your dream is and why it's important to you.

Then keep it somewhere safe and go back and read it anytime that meanie brain starts to bug you.

And dream on. 

 
-------------------------------

Authors note:

Help me with my next book?
Can you or anyone you know answer "yes" to the following questions? If so, please e-mail me at isa@isaadney.com as I'd love to possibly interview you (or that person) for this book!

1. Have you accomplished a 'big' dream in your life?*
2. Can you define when you first had that dream and describe a moment when you felt that dream had come true?
3. Are you willing to share your experiences with success and failure in the pursuit of your dream with others in a book so that they can be inspired by your story?

*note: the dream can be as general as being successful (though I would want you to describe/specify exactly what that means to you) or as specific as dreaming of getting a certain job or degree. They key is that you can define one particular dream you had, when you first had it, and then what you did to turn it from a dream to a reality. 

Thank you!!

How to pay for college (while I put on many jackets??)

A student recently asked me what she should do after finding out she didn't qualify for work study (where you are given a job on campus in exchange for tuition reduction). 

In the quick video below I share some basic tips for what you should do next to pay for college once you've found out your financial aid situation won't cover everything you hoped it would.

And please share any ideas you have for future videos (or questions you want answered while I do something random) by commenting on this post or sharing your idea in the Ask Isa inbox!

Success Series: Why Asking for Advice is the Best Networking Strategy

"But I'm young."

"But I have nothing to offer."

"But I'm shy."

"But I don't know anything about business."

"But I'm awkward."

These are just a few examples of some of the comments I've heard from young people who are afraid of networking. And they are all valid and understandable.

But they're also all wrong. 

Networking is this scary weird term that often conjures up some sleazy guy in a suit trying to talk himself up and force his business card into your hand.

This is not the kind of networking I'm talking about. The kind of networking I believe in feels more like friendship, and being young and/or a student can be a huge advantage if you know how to leverage it. 

I've written about this formula a lot (it's pretty much the basis for the last third of my first book and the entirety of my second book) but I think it's always helpful to have a reminder. 

The best way to start to build your network in college is to ask for advice.

Sure, you may not know a lot. You may have nothing to offer. You may be awkward and shy. And that's okay!

You actually have more to offer than you realize. Because when you ask someone for advice, listen, and then take that advice, you turn that person into your coach/mentor.

And feeling like a coach or mentor to someone is one of the best feelings in the world.

We all want to impact people's lives. We all want to feel like what we've learned in our life can be passed on and add value to someone else.

When you ask someone you admire for advice and really listen, you create an incredible bond and build a friendship that can lead to some amazing opportunities and often add value to your life in ways so beyond the traditional business-card exchange (heck you don't even need a business card for this kind of networking!)

Building a network is vital to succeeding in college and career. It just is. 

No one is successful alone. 

Here is one way to start right now:

Go to your college's student life office, career center, or the office hours of your favorite professor and ask for their advice regarding something you're trying to accomplish right now.

You don't have to have all the answers. Be vulnerable and honest about your struggles. Ask for advice. If the advice seems good to you, take it, and then go back and say thank you.

Start small and be persistent. This takes time. Try to ask for advice of someone you admire at least once a week. 

And then watch as your network grows, your opportunities expand, and your path clears.  

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!! Don't make resolutions, but instead, write goals. Read them every morning. And then go make 2014 amazing. 

I got pied in the face!

We asked and you guys listened - the One Professor campaign reached its goal of 500 video submissions honoring the amazing professors who change our lives.

A few months ago, at the request of the Pearson Students, I agreed (what was I thinking?) to get pied in the face if we reached 500 videos. 

The video below gives you that moment. It was a surprise to say the least. :)

The One Professor campaign is still going and we would love to honor your professor. Learn more at PearsonStudents.com/OneProfessor.

A great gift for a college student

If you have any friends in community college, or want to spend any holiday cash you get on something for your future, I wanted to share my book with you. Community College Success was a dream I first had in the College Success class at my community college. 

We had to write down our goals, and I can remember my brain holding my hand back from writing the words "write a book" on that piece of paper. I remember a million voices telling me it was something I couldn't do. But I ignored them and wrote it down any way.

And then, it actually happened. The book exists, I swear! :)

And it's a book to help community college students do exactly what I started in that college success class - reach their dreams. 

Most community college students are up against many barriers: working full-time, taking care of a family, being the first in their family to navigate college, taking classes in their second language, not having family support to pursue education, struggling to afford transportation to and from class, or sometimes all of the above. 

While many students rise above these obstacles, the numbers are stark; too many students are being crushed by these barriers. And they are students with much to offer. They aren't dropping out because they aren't smart. They are dropping out because they are unsupported. 

My book is not magic. But I believe people are magic, and the book outlines specific strategies to encourage students to get involved and meet the people who will help them make the most of their college experience. 

You can get a free chapter of the book right now, or you can get the entire book on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. 

And, for the first time ever, I wanted to share an excerpt of the book on the blog:

       On my first day of community college, I cried like a little girl. Like so many students I’ve met since then, I didn’t want to be there. I felt alone, dejected, and lost. I also ended my community college experience with crying—on graduation when the president announced I’d won the $110,000 Jack Kent Cooke scholarship. Dozens of people surrounded me with hugs and tears. I had friends, money, and a future. All this didn’t happen to me through luck or because I’m a super-genius (see my SAT scores). 

       The secret to success isn’t good fortune or a high IQ—it’s people. No matter how technological our world gets, the best opportunities in life will always happen through people. And the people you meet in community college will change your life. Millions of dollars in scholarships, incredible opportunities, and jobs are available to students who know how to connect with others. You deserve to be one of those students. It’s up to you to find the right people, ask for help, and admit you can’t do it alone. How do you find these people? How will you know what to say? How can you convince them to talk to you? And how does a conversation lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars and a life you can’t even imagine? I’ll show you. But first—to know where you’re going, it’s important to know where you’ve come from.

         I want to share a little about me so you’ll understand my background. As you read my story, I want you to consider your own story. Why are you in college? What barriers lie within your background? What opportunities? Only you have lived your life, and your personal story can teach you much about what holds you back, what pushes you forward, the things you value, and which problems in the world you want to fix. I grew up in a lower-middle class family and attended a high school where only 25 percent of the students go to college. My socio-economic status and family history never entered my consciousness growing up, but the year my grandpa died changed everything for me.

        After his death I learned more about how he and my grandma moved from Puerto Rico to New York before my father was born to make a better life for the Rosado family. My grandfather worked as a janitor for most of his life; my grandma was a maid. My dad made it into the open doors of community college, but never transferred to a university. He sacrificed and worked diligently as a case manager for a law firm, while my stay-at-home mom, my two younger brothers, and I lived on his income...

           And that’s why I ended up crying on the industrial carpet of my local community college. I felt so alone walking in there with my two-page application and a broken heart. This was not the idyllic college experience I imagined. I was supposed to be entering a lively freshman orientation, meeting new friends I’d have for life, picking out my classes and fresh books, and moving into the first place I could call my own. Instead, I was 15 minutes from home sitting in a small waiting room with strangers of all ages who looked as lost and alone as I felt. How did I get here?...

        My parents said I could go to college wherever I wanted. They said they would take out loans for my education because they believed in me. At the time, I was young and eager to take advantage of that offer. You may be wondering why, if I came from a low-income family, my parents were able and willing to take out loans for wherever I wanted to attend college. The truth is, they were willing—but not necessarily able. However, that didn’t stop them. I came from a family of sacrifice. And as a family that had been through hardship and gone into debt for many horrific things, they didn’t blink an eye when it came to going into debt for something good.

        When I was in high school, my younger brother, Tito, who was in seventh grade at the time, came home one day complaining of a stomach ache. The pain intensified, and when he began screaming and writhing in pain my mom rushed him to the hospital. They sent him home, saying he had food poisoning. The next morning he woke up paralyzed from the waist down from bacteria that migrated from his stomach to his spine. A few months later my second youngest brother Robby, who was four years old at the time, had a seizure, shaking and foaming at the mouth, in my parents’ bed at 4 a.m. My dad woke me up at 5 a.m., letting me know my mom had just left with my little brother in an ambulance, and for the first time I saw my father break. He cried and said, “I can’t take this anymore.” ...

        On a bright summer morning, I sat at our white kitchen table opening the mail that arrived for me. I chose to open the crisp white envelope from my new college first. Inside was my freshmen schedule. I looked at the classes I would attend in a few weeks, and then read about the fun and lively orientation activities. But with the next page, a dark cloud descended. This was the bill for my first year of college. And I’ll never forget what that number looked like, typed in small 12-point font, but so big to me.

$25,000.

In that instant, everything changed...Read the rest of the first chapter for free here or grab the book for less than $10 on Amazon.com - for a friend or for yourself. 

I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family!! :)

Congratulations to you! (A letter from me to you)

Hi Guys,

I just wanted to take a moment and congratulate all of you for finishing your Fall 2012 semester. There will never be another one again, and you should be so proud of what you've accomplished.

Exams are over!!! 

It's time to relax, appreciate the people around you, and sleep ;)

I hope you take a second right now and pat yourself on the back. Go ahead...no one's watching. Did you do it? Awesome. 

You deserve it. 

Enjoy this time off and relish in this feeling. Multiply it by 100, and that is how it will feel when you graduate. Keep going. And thank you so much for letting me be a small part of your journey this year. I love you guys.

Isa

Three steps to get out of a slump

I have been working from home since May and while I travel a lot, I've been getting cabin fever. 

I love making my own schedule, traveling to community colleges, and working from my very own home office with my husband. But for the past month or so, I've felt like my apartment walls were closing in on me, and I could tell I was being less productive.

First, I blamed it on this large dark green wall in our place. I had it painted a lighter beige. Ahh.

Then I blamed messiness. Need to clean. Better. But I was still not feeling super energized in my space.

Then I blamed my husband. Because that's what you get to do when you're married ;) But then I realized working with him was awesome. That wasn't the problem. 

I was still feeling oddly sluggish. Why? 

I journaled about it last night and I realized something - I had blamed everything and everyone around me but me. I hadn't been taking responsibility for my own energy and productivity. I realized I needed to stop blaming everything else around me and take action. 

Below are the three steps I took to get me out of my space slump, and more importantly, three steps you can replicate to get out of any kind of slump you may find yourself in. 

Note: my definition of a slump = when you don't feel like you're living up to your full potential and realize there is more you could be doing to get where you want to go in your life. 

1. Reflect on the problem: I got out my journal and started thinking about why I was feeling this way - what was wrong with me? I didn't know at first but I just kept writing. Then, I had a flashback to my college days. In college, I always did my homework and wrote essays in the library. Home was for fun, relaxing, TV, reading, etc - essentially anything but work. I thrived when I did my work outside of where I had my fun. I had never made the connection before.

Journal about the problem you are having and think about who you are. Keep writing until you come up with the real cause of why you are in a slump. Don't let anyone else factor into your cause - think about you. It's vital that you take  responsibility for the cause so that you can find the solution. 

2. Brainstorm solutions: Once I realized what the problem really was, I knew I had to take responsibility. I couldn't just blame my apartment or my wonderful husband. I had been trying quick-fixes and hadn't really tackled the root of the problem. So I started listing any idea I could to think about how I could do more work outside of the apartment when I wasn't traveling.

Brainstorm a list of every possible solution to your slump. Don't judge your answers. When brainstorming, nothing is too outlandish. Just write. The only criteria is that every idea be something within your control, something you can act on. 

3. Take one small step: Next, I took a look at all of my ideas and picked the one I liked best. In my brainstorming, I remembered that when I purchased a business travel app a few months ago I had received a free year-long subscription to business lounges across the country. I decided to take one step right away to look into what this entailed. It turned out there was a business lounge in my area, and I scheduled a tour immediately. 

When you find the solution that seems like the best one, take one small step towards action - right away. Tell someone about your solution to keep you accountable. If the solution turns out not to be the best one, keep your brainstorming list and try another idea. 

Me @ work in my new space

I'm writing to you right now from a business lounge with a beautiful view. I got all dressed up to go to "work" today and it felt great. There are ladies in the reception area who are super sweet and made me feel energized. And I've already been more productive in the first few hours here than I would have been with my laptop on my couch. Slump = vanquished.


I hope this formula will help you crush your slump and continue to move towards your full potential.

P.S. Bonus tip for getting out of a slump? Dressing up for the day always feels good :)

How to overcome setbacks in college

In high school I was on the dance team for two years. Confession: I’m not a great dancer.

A few months before my ninth grade year, I walked into the gym to try out for the dance team. My parents couldn’t afford dance lessons, but I had gotten a taste of dance as part of a Junior Beta talent show in seventh grade, and I loved it.

So with a boldness I can only attribute to middle school, I decided to try out for the freshman dance team.

By a miracle, I made the freshman team. That year, I took every dance elective that was offered at my high school, and my parents and late grandpa will tell you that I didn’t walk around our tile floors – I danced.

One day towards the middle of my freshman year, my dance coach called me out and wanted me to try a split jump (something we were learning about in Dance II class, but not actually doing). A split jump is where you leap into a split and then land flat, in a split. Whaat?! I said to her. I can’t do that.

She told me I could. I hesitated at first, but then, I could tell she really believed I could do it. She wouldn’t tell me I could if I was going to break my legs, right? So I timidly leaped. And I landed. In a split. I did it.

That dance coach continued to push me in a way I had never been pushed in my life, and that next year, I tried out for the Varsity dance team.

I’ll never forget those tryouts. I have a really horrible “movement memory” (that’s the name I made up for not being able to remember dances when I first learn them). For the tryouts, we were quickly shown a routine and expected to perform it. They turned on the music, and I saw the other girls around me effortlessly repeating the moves.

I got maybe the first and the last move right.

The next day the results of who made the team were posted in the locker room. My number was not on that list.

It was posted in a little side category that essentially said, “see me.”

I was crushed with the kind of devastation that you can only feel in high school. I walked out of the locker room and circled around the secluded areas of the school, ugly-crying until the bell rang. I wasn’t good enough. The work I did hadn’t paid off.

I went to see the dance coach during lunch, and she told me that while my tryouts weren’t great because I messed up the routines, she still believed I could do it and wanted me on the team. I made it, just barely.

I was overjoyed. But of course, the work had only just begun. Being on that dance team was the hardest thing I had ever done. I twisted my ankle at the first practice, worked for hours to memorize a dance that others would get in a matter of minutes, and would often feel humiliated being corrected in front of everyone.

But I made the team. I got the backpack with the pink letters. I got to dance next to the girls who had danced their whole lives. I had to work harder, but I did it.

I know many of you are in that same circumstance when it comes to college. I am constantly astounded at the students I meet across the country who are going to college despite incredible obstacles that would threaten to (unfairly) put them behind everyone else: physical disabilities, learning disabilities, financial setbacks, deaths in the family, etc.

So if that describes you, I hope you are incredibly proud of what you have accomplished so far, and that you are willing to continue to put in the hard work to make it in college and make it towards the future you dream of. You have it in you. It is possible.

So below are three tips from my dancing days to help you overcome obstacles when you feel like you’re just barely making it:

1. Figure out what you want: When I danced for the first time I fell in love with it. I still get that feeling when I walk into the locker room of my gym and do my old dancer stretches. It’s hard to even explain why or how much I love dance. 

That’s how you should feel about the major and career you are pursuing (or at the very least, how you should feel about learning in college). The only way to overcome obstacles is to have something you really want, really connect with, and would do almost anything to get. Explore, experiment, and decide on what you truly want.

2. Find your coach: I could never have made the dance without my coach. I still think about her all the time, and realize no one had ever pushed me in my life the way she did. She challenged me to do things I didn’t want to do, things that scared me to death. She saw things in me I couldn’t see in myself. Think about it, all professional athletes have coaches. We can’t always see our own potential. Find mentors and tell them what you want and ask for their advice on how to get there.

3. Practice more than anyone else: When I was on the dance team I danced constantly. I took every dance elective possible (there were four) and I even became an office aide to my dance coach so that I could take an additional two classes. I practiced at home. I asked the better dancers for help and coaching. I bought the songs we were dancing to for football games and did the routines hundreds of times in my room. Are you really dedicating yourself to college? 

Are you studying more than anyone else? Are you getting ahead? Are you going above and beyond? That is what it takes. And while it’s hard work, walking out of exam day knowing you aced them all brings the same exhilaration that comes from nailing a new dance move. 

It’s the feeling that your hard work has paid off, and you’ve grown. Or rather, leaped. 

What do you stand for?

Tomorrow will be the first time I'll ever vote. 

Four years ago was the first election in which I was old enough to vote. I registered at a little table outside my college cafeteria, but something went wrong and I never received my voting card and missed my opportunity to vote.

I could have probably done more to figure out what went wrong and voted. I wished I had. 

My family never talked about politics as I grew up. They were more concerned with the debt they were in, my brothers' medical issues, and the other daily struggles of the working and lower-middle classes. 

So when I was younger, it just didn't seem like a big part of my life. Life went on relatively normally no matter who was in office. 

However, as I've grown up, I've become so thankful to live in this country and have the opportunity to vote. When I meet people who would give anything for citizenship to this country, I count myself lucky. 

But it's easy to lose that enthusiasm amidst the negativity. It seems much of the rhetoric is "against". I was listening to my iPod yesterday, and when "Some Nights" by Fun came on, for the first time I noticed this desperate line where he cries: "What do I stand for? What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know." 

It got me thinking about how easy it is to get bogged down in being against something, or feeling so disconnected from the world and its happenings that we forget to think about what we really do stand for, and, most importantly, what we can do as individuals, each day, to bring about positive change. 

To me, the best part about living in America is the ability to change our lives, to move up, to bring power to the powerless, to give hope to the hopeless, to make things better, to be creative, and to make change. Voting is a great privilege, and I hope that you take advantage of it tomorrow.

But even more importantly, I hope that you take some time tomorrow to think about what you stand for, and how you can use your education and your talent to do something about it. You are more equipped than you realize to create change in your community and make an impact on the world. 

I'm excited to vote tomorrow and I hope you are too! 

How to make friends in college

A lot of students ask me how to make friends in college. While I share a lot of advice on this blog, my YouTube channel, and my book, in the end it all comes down to stepping outside your comfort zone. And recently, I was reminded just how hard that is: 

5 questions you should ask yourself mid-semester

The semester is a little over half-way over, and below are five questions you should ask yourself. Take a few seconds and jot down your answers - you'll be surprised by the great advice you can give yourself when you just take the time to listen. You have more wisdom than you realize. 

1. Am I giving my college education my 110%? If the answer is no, why not? 

2. What is one thing I know I need to do to improve my grades, but I keep avoiding?

3. What is one thing I did this semester that I'm really proud of and why? 

4. What can I do more of in order to replicate those kinds of proud-moment experiences?

5. What advice would I give someone who was going through what I'm going through at this point of college? 

Keep up the great work this semester, and keep on pushing. The end will be here before you know it, and there is no greater feeling in college than walking to the parking lot on the last day of the semester after your last exam, knowing you've given your 110%.

Are you undroppable?

“I pushed myself. My name is Cynthia Gallardo and I am undroppable.”

Cynthia is a high school student who has overcome great odds – a father arrested, a teen pregnancy – to graduate high school. Today she is at community college, and she is one of the students who has inspired Jason Pollock to create the social media campaign and upcoming documentary Undroppable, of which Cynthia’s video is a part.

I recently spoke with Jason about his involvement with this project and what he’s learned after interviewing hundreds of high school students, in some of the most impoverished areas in the country.

Jason got his start in filmmaking as an assistant to Michael Moore, working on famous films such as Farenheit 9/11, and has always had a passion for showing young people what they can accomplish, as he did with his first documentary The Youngest Candidate.

Undroppable is all about bringing the students into the conversation. As Pollock said: “This is about the people who are part of the educational system, and showing what their lives are really like.”

Below is my interview with Jason, as what he said was just so great I knew I couldn’t say it any better myself, and I wanted you to get the chance to meet him:

What did you learn from interviewing so many high school kids who are struggling?

“I’ve interviewed hundreds of kids in America in the most impoverished areas; all of the testimonials online are just a fraction. I’ve sat with students for weeks at a time and really just cried with them. Kids that grow up with poverty have so many more obstacles than people realize.

“What I’ve learned the most is that there’s always different issues in education, but the big issue is poverty, and it affects kids in all these different ways. Poverty and the fact that their lives are so hard because of poverty and all that goes with it.

“When you live in poverty there is also all this aggression and you have to let it out, so obviously we see it come out in horrible ways like gangs, and drugs. So many of my kids have seen murder. They look me in the face with a straight face and say “ya I saw someone get killed.” It’s their reality. They’re just going to say it. There’s all these issues that make it so that they are having to survive. If you are having to worry about survival, then school is going to fall behind.”

When Jason said “my kids” I smiled in recognition, because it’s something I started saying a few months into my job when I was a Student Life Coordinator. I could tell and feel in Jason’s voice that these kids are so much more than a documentary to him. They have affected and inspired him, and it’s obviously that, like me, he sees these kinds of kids, who continue to strive for better and succeed in education, as heroes.

I noticed a lot of the students you interviewed in the beginning are now in community college. How do you think community colleges fit into breaking this cycle of poverty?

“Community colleges are integral in this process to fixing the dropout rate. Community college is where every kid goes who can’t afford to go to a university. Every kid in poverty goes to community college unless they get a big scholarship, and that’s rare. But if you do well in community college after two years you can transfer to basically any college in the country! Community college is a big part of closing the opportunity gap and helping any student be able to get anywhere.

“And in some ways, these kids that come from poverty and lift themselves up against all odds are so much more ready for college, because they have had to take it so seriously to get through. The kid who just rolls out of bed and doesn’t take high school seriously because he has it easy, can kind of just roll into college and continue to not take it seriously.”

What do you see in the students who are undroppable, who are continuing high school and going on to college despite the odds?

“The students that get through this horrible maze of poverty and reality, there’s one defining trait that they have – resiliency. So the question is, how do we build that trait? No matter what, when they’re bent, they don’t break. A lot of kids, and the reason we have so many dropouts, is that life bends a lot of people, and they break, and it’s incredibly understandable. It’s unreasonable how far life has bent some people. But there are these few people who don’t break no matter what.”

In my experience and in my book I talk about having support from a community being one of the most defining factors in success; have you seen that in any of these students?

“Yes! Most of the undroppable kids that I met had at least one person at home who is amazing, and it was never a surprise to me to talk to the student and then meet the amazing parent.

“Though of course sometimes it blows your mind when you meet an orphan who is getting through it. Students who are making it have amazing people around them, and they have a community of the school around them that cares. It takes a village.”

Shawndtrana’s video beautifully explains how her community helped her not break.

What advice do you have for students who are struggling to finish their education and are feeling like they are about to break?

“You’re just as smart as everyone else. I’ve met kids from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and kids that come from poor backgrounds are just as smart as everyone else, and if they work hard in school they can do anything anyone else does.

“Education really is the gateway to do whatever you want to do. And if you do well in community college and get good grades, and then put your background experience into an essay, every college is going to want to have you.”

The full-length documentary will premiere Fall 2013, but this week Jason will launch a tour to show pieces of the film to high schools across the country in order to begin the conversation and show struggling students two simple things – that they are not alone and that they can be undroppable.

To me, undroppable means realizing that no matter what you’ve been through, only you get to decide whether you’re a statistic or a success. Wherever you are in your educational journey, I encourage you to check out the Undroppable YouTube videos as a reminder, as they were to me, of what it means to rise above, to try, and to keep going no matter what.

A montage of Jason in action, filming the documentary. 

The power of coffee in college

Okay, so, while I loved the free coffee in the cafeteria before my 2 PM class, this isn't what this post is about. 

It's about the times I spent (and still spend) in a café with a friend. I just finished sipping coffee out of a beautiful teacup with a former SGA president I advised when I worked at a community college. She has an amazing story - she got all D's in high school and just didn't care about what she was going to do in her future.

And then, when she got to community college, everything changed. She found her motivation and a community of people to support her. She graduated community college with a 3.9 GPA and is now working in the national Public Allies program for a semester and will transfer to a four-year university this Spring.

I'll share more of her story with you in the Spring when the Public Allies application opens again, but I wanted to give you an idea of who she is so you can see how she inspired me.

I started this blog while I was working in a community college. It was the students I met like her, the students I now get to meet when I speak, students like you, who inspire me more than anything else in the world. 

The thing is, it took effort for us to get together, because we both have busy schedules. But everyone can find 15 minutes for coffee. And the best part is,  once you start, that 15 minutes often turns into an hour or two, and you don't even notice. 

Because face-to-face conversation is like a triple-shot espresso.

Invite someone out for a quick coffee (or tea, or lunch, or whatever you love) and just talk. I had those kinds of café conversations daily in college and I loved them. Today, I have to work a lot harder to make them happen, but I always feel a million-times better afterwards. 

So choose your favorite place, grab a friend, and enjoy the "caffeine" rush of time spent with a good friend :) 

An American Dream story: my interview with Under Secretary María Otero

Last week I interviewed the Under Secretary of State as part of Hispanic Heritage Month and I wanted to share her American Dream story with you. María spoke of her work with such passion and, as a Latina woman myself, I found it so empowering to hear her story. I hope you find it inspiring too:

"When Under Secretary of State María Otero left La Paz, Bolivia with her family to live in Washington D.C., she could have never imagined she’d be working down the hall from Secretary Clinton one day.

"Otero remembers her childhood in Bolivia with joy. Despite it being, according to Otero, 'a poor, underdeveloped country with enormous political instability,' it was her home.

"But it was also a home where women were not expected to study past high school. 'Instead,' Otero said, 'they were to begin looking for a husband and then have children....'" Read More here.

Share your CC dream and you could win $1500 scholarship

Do you know what your dream job is yet? Is community college helping you get there? 

If the answer is yes then I want to encourage you to submit your story as part of Achieving the Dream's Dream Big for College Video Contest!

First place will win $1500, second place $1000, and third place $500. Every bit helps, right? And the winner could be you!

Below are some tips for doing these kinds of video contests that I hope can help you win :)

• Be sure you have good lighting whenever possible
• Dress nicely and smile at the camera
• Be genuine and ask you talk think about how much your CC experience has meant to you
• Be personal and share stories; don't be afraid to share your greatest challenges as they will inspire people the most
• If you need to read a teleprompter, you can use my personal fav, cueprompter.com
• If you don't have something to create a video with, ask someone at the college to help you get in touch with their media department - if they hear you're submitting to this contest I'm sure they'll help by filming for you. 
• Focus on the question, which in this case is telling how your community college is helping you move closer to your dream job. Tell your personal story, but always keep this topic in mind. 

Good luck and I hope you submit your story!

The SKiNNY premiere on college engagement!

Yesterday I made my hosting debut on the first episode of TCC22's new college success show The SKiNNY. It premiered on their cable station, but it's also available to you on YouTube.

This first episode is all about getting involved in college. If you have any ideas for future episode segments feel free to send them my way at isa@communitycollegesuccess.com and I'll be sure to get your idea to the producers. 

I hope you enjoy the show, and thank you so much for all your support!

Top college president credits community college for his success

I recently got the opportunity to interview Dr. Eduardo Padrón for Hispanic Heritage Month. He is the president of the largest community college in the country, and I hope his story of college success will inspire you as much as it has personally inspired me. 

"When Eduardo Padrón left Cuba for America at the age of 15, with his younger brother in tow, he could have never imagined that one day he would be named one of the top 10 college presidents by TIME magazine as president of Miami-Dade College...Read More.