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.

Questions answered from New York State Completion Day

I recently spoke for New York State's Completion Day and afterwards students were able to text in questions since many were watching the simulcast across the state. I wasn't able to get to all of them so I told them I'd still answer their questions on my blog. Thanks so much for asking questions you guys - it says a lot about you! Successful students ask questions :)

What was your most trying time in community college? - Michael from Broome CC 

The hardest time I had in community college was at the beginning. I felt so alone when I started, just going to class and going home, not sure what this whole "college" thing was all about. What changed that for me was the friends I met in the classroom. That is why the first section of my book was about connecting with your peers. Professors helped me academically and professional mentors helped me get jobs, but my friends were the ones who got me through the hard times. 

What can I do to prepare myself for my Bachelors? - Arriana from Erie CC

Join the honors program if your college has one, join Phi Theta Kappa, and find a professor whom you really connect with to be your mentor. Honors programs are great at preparing you to transfer and Phi Theta Kappa is a way to qualify for many transfer scholarships. And professors know academia better than anyone else and can help guide you towards the best colleges to apply to and how to go about that process. Seek help every day, because it can be a lot. But you can do it!!

What advice would you give a student without hope? - Anonymous

This is such a great question. I think hope is the most important factor for college success. But it's hard to measure, and it's hard to "teach." I lost all hope when I first started community college. I felt so alone. But it was the people I met in community college who gave me hope - the friends in the classroom, going to my professors' office hours, meeting with my academic advisor often, and joining clubs. Take action even when you feel hopeless by asking others for help. Eventually, you'll find hope will come back to you again when those people start to see in you what you can't see in yourself - potential.

What is a good way to get motivated to go to morning classes? - Daniel from SUNY Orange

First of all, think about when you are most energized. If it's not the morning, try to pick classes at times where you are most alert. However, if you have to take morning classes, then choose classes that you're most excited about to start the day with. I also recommend getting up earlier to give yourself some time to actually wake up and eat breakfast so that you're ready for the day by the time you get to class. I also recommend dressing nice, and listening to your favorite music on the way. Also, try reading your goals and  reading a few pages of a good motivational/college success book each morning. Starting your day with your goals fresh in your head will help motivate you to remember how  your classes will help you get to where you want to go in your life. 

When you're feeling overwhelmed, how do you overcome the most difficult obstacles surrounding you with all the work you do? - Danny from SUNY Orange Newburgh Campus

The hardest year of my life was when I was working full time, writing my book, and getting my Masters. I'd wake up at 5am to write my book, go to work by 8:30am, and then I'd get home at 5:30pm and I'd work on my Masters. It was exhausting and there were so many times where I just felt like I couldn't do this. I'd cry alone and wonder to myself, why am I trying so hard? Is this really worth it? Is any of this going to actually work out? Is this really going to help me reach my dreams? 

And there were many times I thought no, maybe this isn't worth it, maybe I'm trying too hard, maybe no one will read my book, maybe this won't make a difference, maybe I'm not capable of this. 

But what kept me going was hope. I'd crash and burn but then I'd journal about it and read my goals again (which I write down every year) and remember students like you. I'd remember the people who believe in me. And I'd remember that dreams require hard work, and that even though I wasn't seeing results now and probably wouldn't see them for years, that this is what it would take. And in the past few months, I have finally been seeing the results. It was a long journey, but every tear and every early morning was worth it.

You'll feel that same way once you receive your diploma. I promise. 

At the book signing after the New York State Completion Day event

Why to complete college

Right now I am sitting in the cafeteria of Finger Lakes Community College, waiting to speak for New York State's College Completion Day. As I think about completion, I look around me, and I realize I’m surrounded by students who are here for a reason. They may not know what that reason is yet, but for some reason, they’re here. They started.

As I sit here today, about to speak about completion and have it broadcasted to all 37 New York community colleges, I can’t help but think about where I started.

When I sat in my community college cafeteria I could have never really believed I’d be an author and a speaker, traveling the country and helping students succeed. It’s a Wednesday and I’m in New York State. Doing what I love. Is this real?

That was always my reason for completing college - to have a chance to do a job I loved.

My dad, who wasn't able to figure out what he wanted to do with his life when he went to community college, always instilled within me and my brothers to do what we love – to figure out who we were, what we were good at, and then find a way to paid for it. I chased that. And I always believed college would give me the freedom to explore and choose and fail, and then get back up again and try something new.

Last week my dad’s mom died. And on that same day, I received my M.Ed diploma in the mail. 

And in that moment I realized a diploma is so much more than a piece of paper. For me, it represents my life. It represents my hard work, my tears, my failures, my strengths, and my choices. There is nothing you can really say to explain to someone the feeling of finishing something you’re proud of. The only way to feel that elation is to experience it.

And that is what I want for you. That elation of not just “getting through” college, but of completing it. The feeling of reaching a goal you really care about. The feeling of having more choices and a chance of a better life than anyone in your family has had before. 

Sometimes I know it's hard to hope for that feelings when things are so hard now, when you're just trying to survive. But I have learned that any goal worth achieving involves long periods of time where you feel like your hard work will never pay off.  

But it will. 

And when you get that diploma you will feel it. You will realize that in the end it isn't the piece of paper that matters, and in some ways it isn't even the credential or the resume boost that really matters, that really gives you that feeling.

You may find, like I did, that the paper will bring to your mind what you did to get where you are today. It will make you feel so thankful to all the people who helped you achieve more than you ever thought possible. And more than anything else, you will enjoy the feeling that you have the power to create your life, despite any obstacles that come your way.

The things that cause community college students to drop out are also the things that make completers that much stronger. 

You may have barriers you've faced  because the color of your skin or the neighborhood where you grew up or how much money your parents had (or didn't have). But you are so much more than that, and when you complete your degree, you show the world that you can do anything. You prove that the American Dream still exists, because it is only as strong as the will of the people who pursue it. 

But most importantly, you show yourself that you can do anything. And once you figure that out, nothing will limit what you can accomplish.

The New York State completion day event I was a part of can be viewed on FLCC Connects (my speech starts at around 38 minutes). And I highly recommend checking out this great short video they created, featuring amazing CC alumni talking about why it's so important to complete college. 

Vlog: College Tips for Your Freshman Year

Below is a video with four tips to start your freshman year on the right foot. If you're not a freshman, you might still want to check out the tips to ensure you did them when you were a freshman. If you haven't - you still can :)