Mentoring for first-generation college students is key

Unlike most children, I didn’t spend my childhood imagining a bright future for myself; on the contrary, most of my childhood was spent focusing on survival. Until I was 7 years old, I was raised in Section 8 housing with my deaf and mute mother. In fact, as a result of little verbal communication, I didn’t know how to speak until a very late age.

A few days after I turned 7, I entered the foster care system and moved between Arkansas and Texas. When I was 9 years old, I was adopted by my kindergarten Sunday school teacher in Texarkana, Ark.

I could never have imagined how my adoption would shift my vision for my own education and future, but it made a tremendous difference. In foster care, it was difficult to join extracurriculars or make lasting friendships, but living in a stable home where I was cared for made it much easier for me to socialize and grow as a person during middle school and high school. My mom was also a big inspiration for me because, while I never struggled with grades in school, I was always unsure of what my future might look like. However, my mom always supported me and let me know that I could do whatever I wanted if I put my mind to it.

This was especially true when it came time to apply for college. I originally wanted to go to college to play Division II tennis. My mom was supportive of my goal to play tennis, but she also wanted me to try to attend a school that would challenge me and help me grow as a person.

Coming from a rural town, there were not a lot of resources that were available to help me know what schools would be the best fit based on my income, test scores, and GPA. Many of my friends were oriented toward attending community colleges nearby or going to the University of Arkansas. Since I had no one to rely on, I thought that I should only apply to schools where I would be swiftly accepted.

Then, during the summer before my senior year of high school, I received an email from CollegePoint about signing up for free mentoring. I was hesitant at first, but I decided to pursue it. My first contact with my adviser — by phone — occurred in mid-September. It was nerve-wracking because I didn’t know what to expect, but my adviser was helpful in explaining the college decision process to me and alerting me about fast-approaching deadlines. In addition, she also made me feel motivated, not to mention worthy and deserving of attending our country’s top-performing institutions. I was amazed when my acceptances came through, reinforcing her sentiments: I received full-ride scholarships from Harvard, Rice, Duke and several other top-tier universities.

After being notified of the acceptances, I had to choose. Selecting just one school proved to be the most difficult decision of the process for me — by a long shot. I feel so lucky to have been able to talk to my CollegePoint adviser the many factors weighing on my mind, and was ultimately pulled toward Rice

University, with its residential college system and strong sense of community. Currently, I am a junior at Rice University, studying economics, psychology, and social policy analysis. I am also involved in many leadership roles on campus.

Now, I am taking these experiences and using them to create a community at Rice for low-income and first-generation students. Many students who identify as first-generation or low-income can often feel isolated and intimated by the college experience due to the fear of the unknown in navigating the college system.