Spring Break \’08: Arkansas

I have been struggling to find the words to articulate what I have encountered on this trip to Arkansas.From the incredibly hospitable student leaders like Brad, Kyle and Cory to the enthusiastic and humble principle at Stephens, to the gaiety and heartfelt sentiments of the students at Stephens, and of course, my always interesting fellow Wake peers, I can honestly say that coming out to the “straight up” country for spring break has made me remember why I came to Wake.

 Listening to the conversations and reflections of my peers, I was taken back to my first day of college.(As many of you know, I am the youngest of the group: sophomore status).I walked around the quad at Wake and wondered what things were awaiting me in the coming years.What did this school of Pro Humanitate have to teach me about serving Humanity? I’m not trying to plug Wake, because everyone who knows me knows that I have strong opinions about Wake, negative and positive, but stepping back and hearing the star basketball student state, “I wish ya’ll were staying another day, because I would’ve had a fish cooking in my crib for ya’ll. I’m for real, you guys have no idea how much ya’ll have touched my heart,” I am offering a thought of contemplation for all those already in intuitions of higher learning, no matter if it is a community college or a tech school or an Ivy.

 This gentle giant of 6’2 with an infectious smile and humor sat before my colleague and I, grasping on to each word we said about college and Fafsa and scholarships and college life and anything and everything. He filled out 6 applications and each time, he remarked, I’m going to college with a smile that would break any person’s heart.

 Yea, call me sentimental and maternal and emotional and naviee, but it doesn’t matter, I’m not going to internalize the labels of others.I know I have no idea what long-term impact, if any, I have made on this student and or any other person I have encountered in this small town of Arkansas, but “A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.” – St. Francis of Assisi

 In quoting St. Francis, I feel a pressing need to clarify.On the 2^nd day at Stephens, my Wake peers and I sat in classes with the students.After the advanced American history class was dismissed, we spoke with the teacher.He asked us why were we here in Arkansas? What were we getting out it?I remarked “I am my brother’s keeper” without hesitation.This might mean many things to different people, but to me this statement means that I am bounded to the suffering of my fellow human being and if my fellow man/woman is suffering than I too am suffering if I do nothing to help ease his or her suffering.But ya’ll! This student was my keeper, I was not his.He was my sunbeam. Yes, I was benefiting from these students.I came here drowning in confusion and these students pulled me out of the shadows of disempowerment and empowered me by giving me their trust and their hearts.

Today is the last day in Arkansas and it honestly has been a fulfilling experience. My belief in the potential of everyone students was exposed today. I spent 2 hours in the In-School Suspension (ISS) talking to a couple of bright young men who expressed a desire for a better future and realizing that there is another step from high school. There was a sense of purpose and yet the system has failed them. These students learn at an 8th Grade level irrespective of their grade. This implies a loss in valuable time and as both overseer and teacher of the ISS mentioned, the ISS has no real purpose. I helped out a lot of students, in terms of applying for financial aid, registering for the ACT and starting out their FAFSA application forms. It seemed that we did so little yet their excitement level spoke differently of them. One of the students I helped out was exceptionally brilliant, Tabitha and she had taken the initiative to apply to several of the scholarships and loans that we went over, it was amazing, we over three pages of scholarships and she had already applied to most of them. Knowledge is power and these students could truly be empowered if they have access to information and resources and there is hope for tomorrow.
One of the best experiences of the day was visiting Linda and Russ’s house, it was extremely nice of them to open up their house for us and allowing us to ride Tiffany 2 spots, she was an extremely calm and beautiful horse whom I loved riding. It is sad that we leave tomorrow and it has been an awesome experience. I truly appreciate the opportunity to have been down here and help out, but best of all experience true Southern hospitality reminiscent of Ghana. Southern Arkansas University truly has had gracious hosts. (There are too many of you to mention but you are deeply appreciated)

As we stepped off of the van this morning and entered Stephens High School there was a unique energy present.  Much due to the fact that our days of interaction and service in this community was culminating.  Therefore, I personally in a single moment, dually existed in a emotional state of overwhelming joy and a sharp pain of sadness.  Sadness because what I was just becoming to know and understand to be Stephens would be rapidly downsized to emails, photos, and memories.  Yet, there was overwhelming joy because we had yet another day to affect positive change.

While some of my peers taught classes (Yay Trayonna) and others helped to actually get students to apply to colleges/universities (which included tracking down transcripts, calling Admission’s offices, retrieving ACT scores, and much more) myself, Donte, and Michael spent the first two hours of our day in ISS.  So for all of you who have never gotten in any trouble in your K-12 career, ISS stands for In School Suspension.  Most of these students were in here for things such as disrupting class, skipping school, or confrontations with teachers or other staff.  When I first entered the room they all were looking at me like: “So, what is this kid from Wake Forest going to say to us?  Let me guess, you need to behave yourself or you are going to through your future away.”  Not to blame them, that is probably what i would have said myself.  Yet, as conversation begun and I told that I spent most of my 7th grade year in ISS myself, one kid exclaimed “Oh, now we can talk.”  Before you knew it there was a semi-circle around me and Michael as we told the students how horrible we were.  Isn’t that great!  No we didn’t beat them over the head with the “Act Right” stick.  No we didn’t introduce them to the fear factor (however that is sometimes needed).  Instead we gave them hope.  We said, “Look how horrible we were and we made it.”  For all of you concerned parents (or paternal like people), we didn’t create a false reality that if they continued the way they did life will just pan out.  However, we told them that you posses the power within you to change your own destiny.  You can CHANGE!

One young man in particular (the one who first gave me the credibility to speak) who I really clicked with was an 8th grader named Jaylen .  Interestingly enough, he was named after Jalen Rose (NBA player) just like my younger brother back home.  He told me that he wanted to be a basketball player himself, but if that didn’t pan out he would like to be high school teacher and basketball coach.  After spending some time on the internet I returned with some scholarship information for African-American males who aspired to be teachers.  I knew it meant something when we all took pictures together and held up high in front of him were the papers I gave him.  Wow!  Powerful!  That moment will forever grip me.

After leaving the school we were invited to Linda and Russ’s home (yeah they are professors, but they demanded we call them by their first names).  While at their home I rode a horse for the first time ( a World Champion Show horse at that).  They were extremely gracious and allowed us to stay at their ranch for three hours.  They then joined us for dinner at Pizza Inn where we help support the Stehphens’ High School National Honor Society’s  fundraisr for their spring trip.  All around our day was full, but great.

As I finish this blog, I must say it is truly clearer now.  It is clearer that I and you can REALLY make a difference and it starts with each of us giving of ourselves.  Reaching out to our neighbors and that includes any man, woman, boy or girl who see in need.  Touch someone and see how much of it will change not only them, but you as well.  My heart is overwhelmed, however life is clearer now.

The title of my blog is partially in honor of my fellow travel partner and ‘08 Wake Forest graduate Mercy!!!!  I have been so encouraged by my classmates that I would be remiss if I did not mention at least one significant engagement.  On that note shout outs to Michael, Keon, Trayonna, Elizabeth, Benny, Duabhav, and Aaron!  I was and am so inspired by Mercy’s story that I thought I would share some of it before speaking of yesterday’s experiences.  It is what she is doing and plans to do that inspire my admiration.  Mercy is from Malewi, in Southeast Africa, and has come to Wake Forest University to get her degree in Economics and plans to go on to get her PhD.  Afterward she plans to go back to Malewi and provide herself as a resource to her country, where she feels the need is greater in comparison to America.  Yes she could say hey I made it out, and enjoy the amenities of our society and the pleasures/comforts it all offers, but she understands that she is who she is because of where she came from.  So to Mercy and all of those who do not forget where you come from and those who are still there thank you and God bless you, and Lord have ‘mercy’ on those of us who forget! 

The other significant inspiration of this blog are a couple of  experiences that I had while observing a Math class yesterday (note: if you want to read more about this experience read Michael Mahmoud’s blog from yesterday).  One of the students, who was giving the teacher a VERY hard time and making it very difficult for her to facilitate a healthy learning environment, asked the teacher if he could just pay for an “A” instead of having to complete his make up work.  Her response to the student was “no, this is not a store this is a school.”  I thought to myself wow, that statement is true and false all at the same time.  It seems that it’s true for the poor, under funded schools across this country and globe, but false for those that are rich.  Now I make my comments understanding that all-inclusive statements are more often than not falsifiable, however, I truly believe overwhelmingly this is the case.  Rich schools with rich students are able to pay for SAT/ACT prep courses and guides or expensive tutors all to increase their chance into getting into college.  I also listened to the teacher tell me how they could not afford to provide books to a 10 student class although it is a state mandated course.  The entire time all I could think about was how we have a governor who can find thousands of the government’s/taxpayers dollars to pay for prostitutes, but no one can find less than 1,000 dollars to buy books for our nation’s future textbooks for a state required class!  So I say ‘mercy on us’….

 I would like to close on a lighter note.  After visiting the home of the wonderful Linda and Russ (SAU professors who insisted we call them by first name) and riding their horse Tiffany 2 Spot, I along with the rest of the group found ourselves pushing a 15 passenger van out of a muddy trail.  It was so much fun, because after pushing the van out of one spot we pushed it too far back into another and hand to push it out again.  It was definitely a bonding experience…and it’s all thanks to Aaron, just kidding.  Aaron has to be by far the best driver on the trip! 

 Well until next time….

Donte’

 The title of my blog is partially in honor of my fellow travel partner and ‘08 Wake Forest graduate Mercy!!!!  I have been so encouraged by my classmates that I would be remiss if I did not mention at least one significant engagement.  On that note shout outs to Michael, Keon, Trayonna, Elizabeth, Benny, Duabhav, and Aaron!  I was and am so inspired by Mercy’s story that I thought I would share some of it before speaking of yesterday’s experiences.  It is what she is doing and plans to do that inspire my admiration.  Mercy is from Malewi, in Southeast Africa, and has come to Wake Forest University to get her degree in Economics and plans to go on to get her PhD.  Afterward she plans to go back to Malewi and provide herself as a resource to her country, where she feels the need is greater in comparison to America.  Yes she could say hey I made it out, and enjoy the amenities of our society and the pleasures/comforts it all offers, but she understands that she is who she is because of where she came from.  So to Mercy and all of those who do not forget where you come from and those who are still there thank you and God bless you, and Lord have ‘mercy’ on those of us who forget! 

The other significant inspiration of this blog are a couple of  experiences that I had while observing a Math class yesterday (note: if you want to read more about this experience read Michael Mahmoud’s blog from yesterday).  One of the students, who was giving the teacher a VERY hard time and making it very difficult for her to facilitate a healthy learning environment, asked the teacher if he could just pay for an “A” instead of having to complete his make up work.  Her response to the student was “no, this is not a store this is a school.”  I thought to myself wow, that statement is true and false all at the same time.  It seems that it’s true for the poor, under funded schools across this country and globe, but false for those that are rich.  Now I make my comments understanding that all-inclusive statements are more often than not falsifiable, however, I truly believe overwhelmingly this is the case.  Rich schools with rich students are able to pay for SAT/ACT prep courses and guides or expensive tutors all to increase their chance into getting into college.  I also listened to the teacher tell me how they could not afford to provide books to a 10 student class although it is a state mandated course.  The entire time all I could think about was how we have a governor who can find thousands of the government’s/taxpayers dollars to pay for prostitutes, but no one can find less than 1,000 dollars to buy our nation’s future textbooks for a state required class!  So I say ‘mercy on us’….

 I would like to close on a lighter note.  After visiting the home of the wonderful Linda and Russ (SAU professors who insisted we call them by first name) and riding their horse Tiffany 2 Spot, I along with the rest of the group found ourselves pushing a 15 passenger van out of a muddy trail.  It was so much fun, because after pushing the van out of one spot we pushed it too far back into another and hand to push it out again.  It was definitely a bonding experience…and it’s all thanks to Aaron, just kidding.  Aaron has to be by far the best driver on the trip! 

 Well until next time….

Donte’

p.s. I promise my next blog will be more upbeat :)…

Today is the last official day in Arkansas. It has been great! We started our morning mentoring students on post-secondary plans. I threatened many youth …. As I told them they better follow-up on their plans. For example, one must physically go register at a cosmetology school while another must call the admissions office at a local school to find out the status of her application. Moreover, it has truly been a pleasure getting to know the unique individuals that lie underneath the exterior. I hope that everyone has learned as much as I have during our time at this high school.

Today, I got the opportunity to call the ACT folks, get scores released for a student. Call colleges to find out missing requirements, and then work with students to complete the requirements and fax them immediately. I even had the opportunity to help one young man apply to 5 schools. Afterwards, he began to advocate for the school to throw us a BBQ. It is truly amazing to watch students in route to success.

On Tuesday, we took a group of Stephen students to SAU to sit in on class and have lunch on campus. One of the girls asked me why we had chosen Stephens instead of one of the larger high schools. She stated that Stephens never gets this sort of treatment or is seen as important in comparison to the other schools. This statement took me back, because I realized the education disparity that I’ve been wrestling with in my paper for Social Problems was taking place in Stephens. It’s one thing to read about these under-resourced schools and poverty stricken communities, but to see it is a completely different experience.

The same girl then asked for my contact information. I hesitated because I knew coming on this trip, I would be giving these students hope but I also knew the reality of the situation and my role. I would more than likely not be coming back to Stephens any time soon and though I want to keep in touch with this girl, I know that I can’t possibly do anything to truly help her in the long-term except to be honest with her and state that there is more to life than what you have been exposed to.

As the day continued, our conversations took a personal turn. She had recently moved to Stephens and struggled with her many  issues at home and in finding her voice that I did and still continue to struggle with…Here was a girl who has so much to  give to this world, but lacked any sort of positive influence and guidance.  Wow…makes me think about how lucky I was in having mentors and my support system.

I don’t think this blog is truly able to capture these last few days…but I welcome any dialogue when we return to campus.  I don’t even know the true impact this experience will make on me.

When I first arrived in Stephens I wondered why anyone would like to live in a place like this.  This is a rural area with very few resources, the school is the largest employer of the community! (with a high school student population of around 200)  After speaking with Mr. Cowen and one of the teachers at the school I understand there is a need for educated persons in this community.  There is a need for good role models for these students.  The reason many of the teachers are here at Stephens High School is because they realize there is a need, these teachers could teach anywhere in the nation but they choose to stay here.  I understand there may be other factors keeping them in the community such as family, but I am amazed at how much the facility (I have had the pleasure of meeting) cares about the student body.  Many of the students we have talked about mention they want to leave this area, and I can clearly understand why.  However, it is my hope that these young people will realize how much the community will need them after they are educated because there are students from Stephens that will become college educated.  I hope they will understand the impact they can have on the community and on the world.

Yesterday was amazing. Gamino and I had the opportunity to mentor several juniors and seniors on post-secondary plans. We found the most of the students had thought about their post-secondary plans at some point however, they had given little thought to how to achieve their post-secondary plans. We were able to help students develop some prospective college lists as well as line up conversations with the air force and navy. One thing that was inspiring to see was the side conversations that begin to occur. I witnessed many professionals around the school begin to speak with students in the hallway about the fact most careers require college diplomas. My hope is that SAU will continue our work; it is amazing what a 5 minute conversation can do.

Wednesday we spent our morning at Stephens High School with the students. Some of us went to their classes and some of us offered one-on-one counseling. I helped with the counseling; we asked eleventh and twelfth grade students what they planned to do after high school. Tuesday was the first time we met the students and trying to establish a connection with someone over a couple of days is difficult for anyone. I felt it was especially difficult for us to do establish meaningful relationships with the Stephens High School students because they outnumbered us, we are older and we will only be at the school for a few days.

Yesterday it was easy for me to get to know many students on a superficial level, I learned some new names, I was able to find out what classes they were taking and I found out what their post high school graduation plans were. At the end of yesterday I just felt I hadn’t made enough of a connection with the Stephens High School students. On Tuesday I had the opportunity to speak with a few students one-on-one but most of them felt more comfortable mingling with their group of friends just as we did. Today while the students were sitting in on Dr. Hattery and Dr. Smith’s lecture, many seemed more engaged.

One of the things that really shocked me when conducting the individual counseling sessions was that many of these students just need a little bit of a push. As small and rural as Stephens, AR is there is still pressure from whatever of source to attend college. Most students mentioned that they wanted to go to college and most wanted to get out of the area.One of the most important things I noticed was that they did not really understand the college admission process. Most students had been contacted by colleges and universities in one way or another (through phone calls or via mail).I believe having the individual counseling was beneficial for both them and us; I really felt that I helped make a difference in their perspective. I tried to let them know, the world is out there for you to take it. Schools are contacting you because you are important; I believe it is important for these students to know they have potential.

One of the biggest misconceptions I had was that I believed the students did not want to attend college. Since the principal mentioned that most graduates did not attend college. Many of the students had visited the Southern Arkansas University campus and/or they knew students who attend SAU.These students are intelligent young men and women, they simply lack resources. Although I did not sit in on a classroom I believe it is difficult for teachers at the school to effectively teach and mentor students without adequate resources.Also when young people are in a large group, whether they are meeting new people or are sitting in class, their personality is different than when they are engaged in a serious one-on-one conversation. One of the students I met had applied to schools near Stephens, AR and many out of states schools; she understood the college admission process. However, I believe students like her can also benefit from our visit because we can let them know about the large amounts of scholarship money that is out there.I tried to emphasize to students to apply to colleges and universities early because there are more institutional scholarships offered to those who apply early.

I realized one of the biggest differences between my upbringing and their upbringing is that there were people pushing me to find out if I had completed all the necessary steps needed to apply for college. My parents, teachers and guidance counselor were constantly making sure I understood the process and supported my college related decisions. Whereas many of these students have the desire but lack the support network, and I believe having us here gives them the motivation. Although I know I cannot change the circumstances they live in and I cannot provide them with all the resources they need.But for me speaking with them one-on-one gave me the opportunity to understand how I could really help them.

Unfortunately I believe there are many schools like this throughout the nation, whether they are overpopulated or under-populated and under resourced.I would like to offer my assistance locally to schools like this. I truly believe that if I stay in contact with some of the students I met, even if I just send them an email or letter asking them how they are doing and their college applications are going that will help motivate them to apply to college. I believe every student needs to understand they are valued; colleges and universities are contacting them because they are smart, qualified students. However, some of the students I met did not understand the importance of applying, even if a student is qualified if they did not apply they will not have the opportunity to prove themselves.I will stay in touch with the students I have met because I want to see them succeed and I truly believe they can. There do not need to be any more unemployed people in Stephens, AR or anywhere in the nation, there need to me more people willing to invest in our nation’s future.

So I just haven’t had a chance to write about my experience in the South. I just had been spending most of the time thinking about the general differences I have been observing while on my way to Arkansas, and some other experiences I have had while in the state. Driving from Mississippi to Arkansas one thing I have noticed is the huge gap between the rich and the poor more so than I have noticed from my experiences in other states. Arkansas doesn’t seem like a state in one of the “richest country”. This might be a cliché but for a while I have had this myopic view that America is the land “riches and opportunities”. But from my experience, there is more to the US, than what we see on television. Poverty, although not as comparable to Malawian cases, is prevalent and still exists in America. Even though there are Shanty homes (where usually one notices a sign or life by seeing kids playing outside), I could see by driving through the country side some “sad homes” … (to be continued) I am still an observer and I can not make any conclusions about my experience yet. But,  my current reaction is that something has to be done to help people to get out of economic hardships in here in the American south.

Note: when I get a chance I will write more about my experiences at the schools I have visited. So far I am just shocked and as Michael M. has said ” here is the US is one country where one can observe/have both a developed world education and third- world education”  anyhow, all this well be in my next reflection on the Stephens High School  SAU.