[--- Inside the Juanita Sanchez Library ---]
I would have never imagined going back to my old high school to motivate kids and share tips on academic success. In high school, I was a minimum-GPA-is-okay, no-homework-having, never-prepared-for-class type of student. I use to cut classes with my friends to go watch movies, browse the malls and just mess around. In my freshman year alone, the amount of days I have been suspended totaled over to a couple of weeks! The following years weren’t any better until I entered my senior year.
I remember my senior graduation rehearsal. We were asked to make a single file line in the hallway close to the walls. If your name was called out that meant you had to step out of the line. If you stepped out, that meant you were either left-back or needed to complete summer school to graduate.
“Yeah, Chev, we ain’t making it,” I told him. Chev is one of my best friends.
Luckily, we were not called.
[ --- Some Background Story --- ]
When I first entered the Community College of Rhode Island, after I was rejected from Rhode Island College, I still struggled to keep up my grades. I dropped a couple classes mid-semester to work and this caused for my financial aid to be taken away. When I first received the notice informing me that I would no longer receive any aid, I felt as if I lost my only chance to make something out of myself. But, I decided to be proactive and reach out to the financial aid office to work something out. I promised myself that if CCRI reinstated my financial aid, I would go all out and really focus on my education.
I was told that I could repeal for my financial aid by explaining why I had dropped my classes for employment. I explained that my mother and I lived together and I felt it was my responsibility to help her out financially.
They accepted my letter and placed me on probation-- any more screw-ups and CCRI was done helping me; so, I immediately registered for a course called College Success. This was the class that led to my academic turning point. In this class, I learned a lot of the practical skills I use(d) for college success. I still use those skills now as I pursue my Masters in Public Administration. The most influential concepts I learned in this class was the concept of growth and fixed mindset.
Although in the beginning, I struggled at CCRI, I still managed to graduate as an honor student. When I transferred over to URI, I promised myself to remain focused, take advantage of all the available resources, and finish my undergrad as strong as I could. I kept my promise and I graduated Summa Cumm Laude, a high academic achievement I first learned about during my junior year of college. In addition, I was inducted to the prestigious honors cohorts; Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), Phi Beta Kappa (PBK), and Onyx Senior Honor Society. I was fully funded by scholarships and grants to study Chinese in Hangzhou, China at Zhejiang University (ranked sixth in China) for a winter session and live/study in Taiwan for nine months at National Taiwan University (ranked number one in Taiwan).
All of this was made possible because of the help of my professors, the faculty and staff I met along the way and the support of my peers.
However, I don’t remember receiving that type of support in high school. This post is not intended to insult at my/the inner-city school's teachers, because it’s no secret that the bad conditions of these schools (low-performing, under-resourced, lacking in mentorship) stems from a much larger, complex problem. But the fact still remains, the inner-city schools are below average when compared to schools outside the city. And as an individual who navigated the inner-city schools his whole life, I feel responsible to give back to these population of kids and share all the information I wished I knew in high school.
[--- At Juanita Sanchez ---]
[--- Juanita Sanchez Complex ---]
Before my conversation with the kids, I walked a short-time around the hallways of Juanita Sanchez just for the nostalgia. I entered the library and saw my old librarian there. We talked for a little bit while I waited for the students to come in. Ten minutes later, a group of lively ninth and tenth graders came in. Along with the students came two of my old high school gym teachers. Everyone settled in and then Juanita Sanchez’s Vice Principal, Pinto De Chacon, introduced me to the young, diverse group of kids.
Everything about my presentation was intentional. I phrased the speech as an inclusive conversation and not an exclusive presentation and I carefully chose the material I wanted to cover. I chose to wear urban clothes because when I was in high school, if a person wore a suit, that meant they were different than me and I thought, how can a person who doesn’t look like me/us understand me/us? In retrospect, that was a very silly way to think about it but I was a young high schooler living in my own little bubble. So my approach to this talk was to come as they are in every aspect possible.
I talked to the students about a wide range of topics such as the importance of financial aid, networking in college, scholarships, loans, grants and taking advantage of the resources offered in higher ed institutions, etc. And although they were young teenagers, I at least thought it to be important to expose them to these critical ideas that they will need to understand eventually . For example, I work in Enrollment Services and many students come in stressed about their finances because (1) They don’t have their finances in order and attending college becomes too costly for them to continue, (2) They don’t understand loans and usually place themselves in a higher-level of debt than necessary, (3) When school gets too costly, they don’t know about the alternative financial resources available to them such as scholarships and grants and become overwhelmed.
[--- Some Juanita Sanchez Students After the Conversation ---]
The conversation with the students went very well. I believe that the students who were meant to hear the message I prepared, heard it. But, I also am aware that within that group of students, there are some who will just have to learn from their own personal experiences, as I did. Regardless of that fact, investing in high schoolers and your community is a game played for the long run. I am extremely proud, even if it's on a small scale, to play a part in spreading positivity, teaching, and mentoring kids from the same hood as me; and as I grow older and become more experienced at life, the urgency I feel to do this is imperative.
