Odeneal: Students, you are the prize

On the way home from my eighth-grade graduation, I had a conversation with my mother that broke me.

She looked at me with a crushed spirit and my first thought was, “Why is she sad?” This was a big deal to me. I had peers in my community that didn’t make it through middle school. I was proud and grateful.

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She turned to me and said, “Onjila, I’m so proud of you. I know I’m hard on you, but I don’t want you to get caught up in the neighborhood. You’re doing good, and school and learning is your thing, but I can’t help you.”

With tears building in her eyes, she went on about her struggle with education and dropping out in the 10th grade.

The conversation devastated me, but in the most productive way, fueling all my accomplishments.

What to consider before going to college from Onjila Odeneal

When I started high school, I knew I would be on my own because my mother, to me, was a superhero. If she couldn’t help me, no one could. While I only had myself for the road ahead this meant I needed others – and additional resources – to help me gain access to what I couldn’t do on my own.

Right now, students are making decisions and preparing for their journeys into adulthood post-high school graduation. This is when they are really looking at themselves, their lives and how they measure up against the world around them.

As people of color, we are constantly questioning ourselves, our abilities and others’ perceptions of who we are and what we bring to the table. We operate from a mental place of perfection; If we can’t figure out everything about a pathway on our own, we deem ourselves incapable of embarking on the journey at all. Instead of seeking the support and clarity we need, we lower our aspirations to what we know we’d have access to, to minimize disappointment because life has been full of it. 

Life, however, is not about what students “bring to the table,” but rather what they “need” at the table to be successful.

This is why it’s important to seek pathways, opportunities, resources, and support that will help students gain what they need and recognize their value instead of measuring and ridiculing themselves for deficits. Not having all the answers should not make students feel inadequate or incapable or minimize the greatness that dwells within.

They are the prize. And sometimes it’s a matter of being in the right place and around the right people to tap into their greatness. They need to turn the microscope and scrutiny away from themselves and put it on colleges/universities, program providers and employers. What do these entities bring to the table that helps students get to where they want to be? That, in essence, is what these spaces are created to do.

In the long run, a student’s success is not only a benefit to their livelihood but also to every program, organization, institution, and employer they will engage with along the way. These entities track metrics for reporting engagement, diversification and/or support provided – especially when the student is from a minority community. In return, the question should be ‘what can these entities provide to the student to ensure their success through viable employment?’

I didn’t just have a pros and cons list as a student but a full-blown assessment of every institution I was considering and how they could support me in getting to where I wanted to be in the long run. If an institution, program, or activity did not bring enough to the table for me, it was not an option. While this should not be the onus of students and families, the process of systemic change that many advocates are working towards can be a slow process. Until we have a more equitable system that considers and ensures the necessary supports for all students in all spaces, students and families will need to ensure that the places they are considering have what they personally need to be successful as options and resources will vary based on institution and employer.

The research approach that I used as a student for program and institutional assessments has been fine-tuned over the years by my personal experiences, student and family advising and through professional development training that I provided for those working with students and families. 

There are three lists of considerations for postsecondary pathway assessment. These lists aren’t exhaustive as there are special population considerations but rather a starting list for identifying the best fit. Here are the lists defined:

By considering all of the above, students can better measure the full value of a program, activity or job and determine whether it is the right fit for them in the long run.

Onjila Odeneal is a native Detroiter who leads state policy efforts on higher education access, affordability, and success in Michigan for the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS). Odeneal formerly worked as the deputy director and acting executive director for the Detroit College Access Network. She has 8 years of experience as a financial aid administrator and assistant director in both public and private institutions in Michigan and out of state. Odeneal is a product of the Detroit Public School system for K-12 and Michigan higher education systems, holding bachelor’s degrees in business administration and political science from University of Detroit Mercy and a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Wayne State University. Onjila contributed to this article in her personal capacity. The views expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of her employer.