I am grateful for my Pepperdine education, not only for what I learned inside of the classroom, but also for the woman I became because of my experiences outside of the classroom. But how did I get there?
My father chose it. #truestory
I'll share the story I've shared with my students. It all started Thanksgiving break of my senior year in high school. My Dad called me down to the kitchen and asked me where I was planning to go to college. I excitedly replied, "Chico State". He scoffed, and walked out of the kitchen. I looked at my mom in confusion and she said something to the effect of, "you know your Dad".
Fast forward to winter break when my dad call me down to the kitchen once again. This time, there are tons of papers lined up on the kitchen counter. Turns out, after our "conversation" he requested applications (this is in the "old days" when you had to fill out applications by hand) from approximately 15 colleges in California.
Not only had he requested the applications, but he had filled out the applications. Because my parents were so heavily involved in my life, my Dad was able to fill out almost everything but the essays and sign the application. So, I wrote essays, he reviewed, and I corrected/rewrote. This process continued until he was satisfied with the quality of my essays. I don't remember how I got the recommendations and transcripts but knowing my Dad, he probably either contacted my teachers and counselors directly or sent me with very specific instructions on how to get the necessary information.
My acceptance into Chico State arrived and I was busy planning my college career with my friend Weezy. That was until my father informed me that Chico State was never an option for my parents, and thus, not an option for me.
I was accepted to every. single. school. including the University of San Francisco, University of Southern California, and Pepperdine. When my Dad asked me where I wanted to go, I sarcastically replied that it didn't matter anyway because he was going to pick. His response, "Great! You are going to Pepperdine!"
On the surface, I get it. I should have been able to make my own choice. And in reality, I could have but the results would not have been the same. You see, at the end of the day, my choice for Chico State was based solely on the fact that my friend was going. I was making a multi-layer decision on limited information. We weren't wealthy and my parents made a lot of sacrifices to get me there. And I am forever grateful.
I share all of this because, when you are a Title 1 student whose parent's aren't from this country, who does all of the work that my father did for me? Let's keep it real, most FGLI (first generation, low-income) families don't have the bandwidth or knowledge to support their students so the immediate response is - I can't afford private college so I'll just go to the community college where it is free.
My goal is to change that for my students; for me to play the role for them that my Dad played for me. I want to create a world where my students attend college because it is their choice, not because they don't have any other choices.