Urban Prep's First Grads Summary

Given the opportunity to acquire and build a productive social and cultural capital is a vital necessity to thrive in one’s future aspirations. For the first class of graduates from Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men, their aspiration was not only to graduate from high school, but also successfully attain a college degree. Lolly Bowean’s article, “ Studies on succeeding: Urban Prep’s 1st grads”, explores the importance of attaining, maintaining, and building one’s cultural and social capital, as viewed through four young men’s stories about their post-Urban Prep experiences. Through their stories, some of the financial, social and academic obstacles African American males face in higher education is presented. The strength or lack of …show more content…
It is one’s “ease” to adapt to different settings and ensure the continuance of social acceptance in that setting. The young men described in the article learned to have ease in the setting of Urban Prep. This ease was not transferred or applicable to the new settings in the different universities they attended. As Moore stated, “ I didn’t read clearly. I didn’t ask questions in class. I just took notes…I was doing what it appeared other people were doing”. His lack of knowing how to actively participate in this new setting led to failing his classes. “He’d have to learn to study throughout the day not just before bed, like he did in high school”, “ I had to learn to join the discussions in class…”, “As he settled in, he began to notice what set him apart fro many of his classmates”, “ I was in a different environment where everybody was smart”. The sense of trust or lack of trust with these ties accelerated or deterred their academic success. Once they figured and felt the “ease” they had experienced at Urban Prep, success followed. However, one cannot help but think of the immense role Urban Prep had in ensuring the “success” of these men, by whatever means