In less than a month I will graduate from college. It's an accomplishment that now seems so close to fruition but in reality it's taken eight years to acheive. For a long time it was a goal that seemed unattainable... as if it was only possible in my dreams.

In 2001, after I had already been in school for two and a half years, it became evident that my mom, a single mom at the time, could no longer afford to pay tuition. Although I was told I'd have to stop attending classes, my dean and other professors saw that I was passionate about my education. I convinced them that I was doing everything I could to work it out so they let me continue to attend classes although I wasn’t officially registered. And so, life after “leaving” school began. This unofficial semester of taking classes and not receiving any course credit was amazing. I took classes with seasoned professors who encouraged me to step out of traditional studies. Classes such as the Black Prison Experience, Inequality in Schools, Issues of Peace & Justice in the Media…it was an intellectual awakening to many untold truths about society.

It was around this time that I experienced what it was like to work in a radio studio. I was taking an effective speaking class, when the professor asked me if I would like to work on a black history project. The project involved creating a commercial series that gave tribute to black music.  From start to finish, this project was an inspiration; it ignited my desire to work as a broadcaster. I researched the history of the music, learned how to write in an expressive format, interviewed people and delivered copy in a conversational manner. Even though the project focused on commercials, this became my first real-life training as a journalist. I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride that people in New York City would hear my work at home, in their cars or at their jobs. In a brief 30 seconds, the commercials I scripted and produced provided in-depth information…news to the public. Soon after that experience, I was told I’d have to leave school.

In essence, my having to leave gave birth to another passion…working with youth. I began volunteering at a youth center in the heart of “da Boogie Down Bronx.” As time progressed, I was asked to work full-time as a Workforce Investment Act Coordinator. This was a hard offer for me to secure because I was in competition with another staff member, I was only a couple of years older than the youth (ages 13-18) that I serviced, and my resume had no college degree or official training. The only thing I had to my advantage was an enthusiasm for the program and a direct knowledge of the program’s demands. Although my mentors believed in me, they had reservations and wondered if I could rise to the occasion.

So there I was, 20 years old, not a Bronx native without a college degree… coordinating an entire after-school component for eighty at-risk youth. For the next year, I worked with youth that were labeled disadvantaged, ignorant and underprivileged.  It was evident in everything, that society had already outcasted them.  I spent that time working to inspire them, relating to them, challenging them to grow and to pursue their aspirations. I told them I was evidence of growing up as a minority, doing well in school and going away to a great college. And for the most part I exhausted myself as an educator, counselor, sister, mother, friend and coordinator, way before my time. But in turn, my encounters with the youth became a priceless part of me.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2003, that I realized that if I would ever be able to make a substantial difference, I needed to finish college. So I moved back to MD with one goal…to obtain my Bachelor of Arts. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Now with less than one month to go, I’m looking to walking across stage and seeing this dream come true.

Written by: Jackie Cutler - April 22, 2007