According to the U.S Census, there are around 655,000 current African American high school seniors. Yet, when reading the statistics of the Ron Brown scholarship applicant pool, there were only 4,000 students who applied. These 4,000 merely makeup .006 percent of the black seniors in this country, and they shine a light on an area that the Ron Brown Scholar program needs to address. Today, the modern education system is tainted with bureaucratic and oligarchical tendencies that prevents students of color, and low socioeconomic backgrounds from excelling in this highly competitive field.…
Some challenges I’ve had to overcome start with me needing to get my life fixed. I used to be the student in high school that didn’t care about how they looked or what grades they got. I had no self-confidence in who I was and I had no aspirations on what I wanted to do with my life. Once high school was over life hit me and I needed to stop being the person I was because it was getting me nowhere in life. Now that I changed my attitude and my lifestyle I now get good grades and I finally feel that I have a clear future for…
My college life started in the summer of 2012, all of my hopes and ambitions were suspended in mid air. The apogee of the first year of my college life in spite of facing the stigma of my age group; was that of the support I received from the instructors in helpimh making my career goals obtainable. During the second semester of my third year of college I started losing my passion. I changed my major from Anthropology to Criminal Justice and tried to keep going. However; needing to take a step back.…
My first year of high school was winding down, teachers had covered all learning material, and most students were preparing for finals. June had just begun, and along with studying, I had an upcoming saxophone recital for which I had been preparing since April. The Tuesday before my recital, I had my second to last lesson with my teacher, Fred Scerbo, before the recital on Sunday. I was preparing a piece by Charlie Parker named "Anthropology". Despite its difficulty, I felt that I would be able to perform it well.…
Being the first in the family to take interest in college is already enough for everyone to push me in the direction to achieving it. I do not want to disappoint them or myself, I want to be on the graduation stage with my hand grasping that master degree. About me, others describe me as opinioned, stubborn and independent. Although I do not want to admit it, these traits all apply to me. Opinioned doesn’t sound as an appealing word to me I should say I like for people to understand my views completely also I don’t mind if someone does not agree with me, it just adds more depth to the discussion.…
“I know applying to colleges is the last thing you want to do right now, but you might change your mind,” a trusted friend told me. It was December of my senior year of high school, and college application deadlines were approaching quickly. I was recovering from a major illness at the time, and wasn’t ready to think about college. My plan was to spend a year living at home and working before I pursued higher education. In the following months, my recovery progressed rapidly.…
As a freshman, getting the chance to participate in this program is a wonderful thing. BLAST would help me to start thinking about college, what I want to do, and my major. This program would be a great opportunity to be able to experience the college life and explore a college campus. Also, it allows me to try new activities and learn new skills. It will give me a chance to see what life after high school is like, firsthand.…
College for me was an unreachable goal that I had set my eyes on upon graduating from high school. Since I could remember I had was diagnosed with a learning disabilities. With theses disabilities colleges would be a hard road; nevertheless, I want to attend school. Starting in community college I worked long hard hours trying to grasps the high speed learning environment. Many times in college with disabilities, i would ask myself if it even worth it, many they were right to give up this goal.…
As a running start student I could talk about how my experience at community college helped prepare me to transfer to a four year university, but the lessons I learned there were primarily limited to academics. Sure, I learned how to be successful in a college class room, that online classes don’t fit my learning style, and going to Hong Kong for two weeks in the middle of the quarter will significantly lower a GPA. (I eventually retook the classes from that quarter.)…
What brought me to George Brown College is my dreams. First of all, I never thought of being a Computer Programmer in the future. When I was a child I always dreamt of being a Police officer, so that I can save and catch all the criminals in the world, but as I grew up and reach high school level my way of thinking changed. My desire of being a police officer disinterested me when I started living alone back in my third year of high school, I always feel lonely that every night I wouldn't sleep without crying. My aunt is coming home from work every weekend, so most of my weekdays after school I spend it at home alone and the only thing I have is my computer.…
Growing up in a large, farming family has given me a myriad of assets that have gotten me to where I am today. Determination, one of those assets, stems from the many obstacles I have faced as a first-generation, low-income, LGBTQ, woman faced with mental illness. Though all the factors were and are against me, I have become the first in my family to go to college. This determination has followed me into the classroom. I strive for good academic standing and understand my classes are not just homework to be done, but as a source of knowledge that I will need in my future career.…
College is a difficult time for everyone, especially your first year. Making the transition from simple high school classes to intense college level courses requires a lot of adjusting. This transition can be made either significantly more difficult or easy depending on the professors that are teaching the courses. Even having just one great teacher and or advisor to be a part of your support system can make an extraordinary impact on a students academic life. For me, that teacher was Mr. Hoess.…
Way before I even thought college was a word, it was always implanted of what kind of career I wanted to study. I will probably change my mind, like I’ll change my under wear because I am so indecisive. Over time, As I was becoming older and closer to graduation, I eventually became more realist of what I wanted to be after high school and how to start this dream to become a reality. The word college was now mentioned every day, and it became a daily vocabulary around me. It became part of my understanding that this was my start of my future and what I had to do to leave a mark on this world.…
College the word that most high schoolers fear. I had grown up listening to horrible things that happens in college. The teachers are mean,nobody is going to help you or guide you, or you are alone once you start college were some pretty common things i hear from most middle and high school teachers. I’m sure they were just trying to scare us up to motivate us to the ou homeworks, study and be organized. Eventhough college doesn’t seem that hard,surely is not a piece of cake and that's why I have a formula or strategy that helps excel in.…
In the past, my educational experience relied heavily on being present five days out of the week and listening to an hour to an hour and a half lectures. Reviews were abundant during lectures causing me to learn at a decreased pace. Stopping became commonplace so everyone had a chance to catch up in their notes or schoolwork declining the already diminishing pace. I was, usually, barred from continuing ahead due to teachers wanting the students all on the same page or because the next lesson wasn’t even decided yet. This all (thankfully) changed with my transferring of high school to college.…