Shannon Williams: Why A College Dropout?

Trying to achieve your dreams and reach your full potential in a town that has little to no guidance for youth, especially African American men, is a daunting task. Too often, young men from my hometown are given limited options for their future. The education system made us feel as if we were only created to work in trade career fields, or sign our lives away for four to six years to the various branches of the United States Military. College was a luxury that many, including myself, thought would never be an option.

On July 6, 1999 a future Clemson Tiger was born, me. As the son of two Clemson alumni, it has been the overall goal of my life to attend the beloved Clemson University and follow my parents’ legacy. Experiencing football and baseball games, caressing Howard’s Rock, and making many everlasting memories has enticed me since I was a young boy. I have considered the university to be my number one choice when picking my future college since the first time I stepped foot on the campus. Knowing that I was initially not accepted into the undergraduate program urges me to prove myself and show the staff of Clemson all that I can bring to better further the reputation of the university. I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am today, but all I can do is get better and I will do whatever it takes to help guarantee my success as a student at Clemson University. I intend to live on campus to help ensure exemplary grades, attend all classes whether attendance is mandatory or optional, and lastly, I have an strong and supportive family of successful alumni to push me to be a prosperous student. My family deeply believes in a Clemson education over another because it has enabled them to be successful in the business world and obtain the high ranking positions in their companies that they possess today. Their success with their Clemson degrees inspire me to obtaining the cherished honor of a Clemson graduate and grow the highly respected reputation of a

One undergrad student who is now a senior, Cassandra Skinner, tells how her choice to attend an HBCU was difficult due to the misconception that these types of schools were “ghetto” or “ratchet”. But after her first semester, and being on the cheerleader squad, she realized that this is where she belonged, with “her

Another major predicament that plays a large role in the amount of African Americans that do not receive a higher education is once they get to college, they do not have a typical or enjoyable experience once there. In today’s society, it is hard to imagine that there is still racism and segregation in schools and colleges today but the reality is, it still does very much exist. This is especially true when black students attend predominantly white universities. Even though most colleges promote themselves by talking about how diverse their

It was only a year ago when I was faced with making a very important decision that would affect me for the rest of my life. It was time for me to choose an institution of higher learning to continue my studies that would eventually lead me to my career. My decision wasn’t simply which university or college to choose, but as a young black student, whether to choose a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or a Predominately White Institution (PWI). This would take me on an insightful journey and I would make my decision after discussing the pros and cons of both institutions and through interactions with students, faculty and staff. Before too long

As a current Retention Specialist, for the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), I have mastered group counseling. For instance, I have conducted over 100 academic advisement workshops. Aside from holding group counseling, I have prevented ECS Hispanic and Black American students from dropping out of California State University, Fullerton. Nonetheless, I am the face of a first-generation scholar who can relate to some challenges first-generation college students’ experience. These challenges may entail, working while pursuing an advanced degree, culture shock with the university environment, and overcoming learning disabilities. Remarkably, I have surmounted obstacles such as having a slight Reading Disability and successfully completing remediation courses during my freshman year in college.

Today, African American students are under-represented in college and universities, and the reason is the ongoing disenfranchisement of African American students. Our education system needs be more responsive and needs to pay more attention to the college preparation for these students. People of color historically have been misrepresented, exploited, silenced, and taken for granted in education research (Dillard, 2000; Stanfield, 1995), (H. Richard Milner IV, 2008).

Society has made it so hard for blacks to become successful, but for the great minds of the students at CAU; it’s so easy for them to succeed and not for them to fall into what society calls the “system”. This too, is a reason as why some African Americans feel like they just don’t have to try. The harder they try; they may still get nowhere being limited to so many great opportunities. Although there are no excuses to be made for the African American communities, this reasoning’s will leave some people to think they will never be good enough for society. “Eliminate what’s distracting you and keep it moving in order to succeed” are words that I will always remember Helen Smith Price saying before the closing of Founders Convocation 2017. In life not everyone will support you nor help you get to where you want to be and those are the people you leave behind in order to succeed. As a graduating senior of Clark Atlanta University I will always “Find a Way or Make

When a person presently looks at university school systems, one never imagines the struggle to obtain such diverse campuses. With Caucasians, Asians, Latinos, and African Americans all willing and able to attend any institution, it is difficult now to envision a world where, because of one’s skin color, a person is denied university acceptance. In actuality, this world existed only fifty years ago. In a time of extreme racial discrimination, African Americans fought and struggled toward one of many goals: to integrate schools. As a pioneer in the South, a man named James Meredith took a courageous step by applying to the University of Mississippi, an all white

During high school, I struggled to maintain my grades and focus. I was in a small town, and every ounce of opportunity seemed to slowly be sucked away from the town as the years past with the aid of the downward economic spiral beginning. I felt, like many of my fellow classmates, that opportunity had passed us by. I didn’t dare conjure even the thought of attending Eastern; it would’ve been too similar to the

Kelsey’s recent ongoing stress is resignated around his academics and family priorities within the past two years. He was an Engineering major in one of the top schools in Wisconsin, he felt pressure to make his family happy and pursue his academic major. Before applying to the Mechanical Engineering program, Kelsey bit off more than he could chew. Seeking membership into a fraternity, visiting home every other weekend to assist his family financially and emotionally during his mother’s bankruptcy period, and taking a huge course load of 16 credits. As a result of his commitment and sacrifice, sadly his grades failed as a result. Within this year, Kelsey went from withholding a full ride (scholarships, grants, fellowships) and summer internship to losing everything including his studentship at Wisconsin. During this tough time in Kelsey’s life, I observed the frustration he endured during this strategic time. He found himself questioning his

The South Dakota High School Football Championship was an experience that I am grateful for having. During the process of getting ready for the event, I was more worried about my grade of the course compared to the success of the weekend. As each week passed on, I realized that this weekend is bigger than just a grade for a course, but it’s a dream that many children have had since they first touched a football. After I realized how selfish I was, I volunteered to lead the game script group that was part of the social media/marketing group. The reason behind that was because I believe I want to go into the marketing aspect of sports, and I thought it was easy. Now that the event is done, I still want to be in sport marketing, but I learned

Living in Chicago in the 21st century is not a necessarily easy thing. Everyday, I live with the fear that a loved one of mines could be taken away from me at any moment. Or the fact that my life could be taken away just from walking out of my front door. I dream of going to college and making something of myself. Often, other students tell me I can not achieve my dreams because I am an African American student. I pushed and struggle so hard to prove these students wrong. Because I am African American, many people view me as just a number. And that number is 33.1%; which is the college graduation rate for Black males. I would like to be one of the many people that will increase this percent. Recently, I was given the opportunity to take part

Instead of feeling pressure to conform as a student at the University of Georgia, I have found that being in college has made me value the importance of a higher education more so than I ever had before. During high school, my primary goal was to play well enough to receive a football scholarship. At that time, my focus was not on academics. However, since I've arrived at the University of Georgia, my entire concept of the value of a college degree has slowly changed. Rather than seeing just football in my future, I can now picture myself as a football player with a college degree. Consequently, instead of having a negative impact on my personal growth, college has helped me broaden as a person.

Entrepreneurs often take a high amount of risk. The fact that Ellen DeGeneres was a college dropout, proves that she’s a risk taker. One comedian beloved by nearly everyone is also a successful college dropout. Born and raised in Metairie, Louisiana, Ellen DeGeneres attended the University of New Orleans. However, what doesn’t seem to make sense is that such a smart woman, only lasted one semester before working for years in different sort of restaurants, while following stand-up nights at local clubs and coffee shops. Ellen Degeneres, famous for her sitcom, talk show, and voice acting, felt unhappy in class, resulting in dropping out. Although Ellen did not have a great start in college, four years later in 1981, she became a master of ceremonies