TGIF: Jessica Brown

TGIF:

This Goal Is Finished

Good morning achievers! Hope you've had a wonderful week!

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I (Jaime) am SO PROUD to announce this week's Achiever, Jessica Brown. Jessica and I met seven years ago while she was a high school student. In the past seven years, I've watched Jessica graduate from high school 13th in her class and go on to have an amazing college career. Despite all of the obstacles she encountered (and there were a lot!), she never gave up on her dream of graduating from college. I was so honored to be able to attend her graduation ceremony earlier this month. Read all about Jessica's goal & story below!

The Achiever

Photo by Demi Olubanwo

I am Jessica Brown, a 23 year old woman from Washington D.C. I am the product of of the DCPS inner city school system, and a first generation college graduate. I recently graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Biological Sciences and two minors, one in Health Medicine and Human Values, and one in Spanish. I am a advocate for my community and communities like mine, and a believer in the power of service. I am a daughter, sister, aunt, godmother, student, scientist, future doctor, leader, community server, best friend, and so much more.

The Goal

I wanted to be the first one in my family to graduate from college.

Why This Goal?

A college education open doors and presents opportunities. I have chosen to serve my community as a health care provider and in order to fulfill this goal, I must first graduate from college.

The First Step

First, I had to apply and get in to a university and find funding. But it wasn’t that as simple as it sounds. The college application process & financial aid process was foreign to me and everyone around me, so I needed to find someone that could answer my questions. So really, my first step was to swallow my pride and ask for help.

Challenges

Applying to school had to be the most frighting and time consuming task that I had ever done. Being the first in my family to take this journey I did not have guidance from them in this process. Having to ask questions and be open with people that I was not comfortable with was difficult to me, but school was too important to let a silly thing like pride get in my way so I did what I had to do.

Once I was accepted to North Carolina State University (Wolfpack Pride!) and had financial aid worked out, the next challenge was staying in college. I came in freshman year with the mindset that many freshmen with good high school grades have --all A’s are the only option! My optimistic spirits were crushed in the first semester. I studied hard, but struggled to keep up with my course load of homework. I ended up failing my Calculus class and barely passing my other sciences classes. I was devastated. I just knew I was done! I had given it my all and still failed. Even though I was ready to pack my bags and head back home, I could never completely give up because too many people were rooting for me to succeed.

So I went back to square one, asking for help. I asked for help from my professors, from my tutors, my peers, and from anyone that I thought would be a useful resource. I changed my major from Engineering (what was I thinking!!) to Biological Sciences, which suited me better. I began experiencing success, pulling my GPA back up, but never to my original hopes of all A's. I began liking, no loving, my college experience.

Once I had the hang of college and was confident in my abilities to perform in my classes, I decided that I needed to get involved on campus and within the community around campus. So I took on a few leadership roles in organizations on campus. While in college, I

• volunteered in the hospital and clinics in the community,
• became an orientation counselor, and a symposium counselor,
• became a peer-mentor,
• acted as the president of an organization,
• was on Alternative Spring Break teams,
• did several study abroad trips,
• worked two jobs,
• started a new on-campus organization, and
• handle personal and family issues.

I barely slept or ate and I BURNED MYSELF OUT! In my junior year, because I was so busy, I experienced another plummet to my GPA and an even bigger plummet to my confidence. I was so close to the end, so I couldn't give up then. I received some great advice to SLOW DOWN and focus on my goals. Which is exactly what I did -- I really reduced my involvement on campus to focus again on my studies, which allowed me to complete my goal.

Staying Motivated

My family was, is, and will remain a huge motivation for me. Seeing them believe in my abilities and dreams more than their own kept me focused, even when things seemed too much. I wanted to show my family that we are destined for great things and that the sacrifices of the generations before me are paying off.

My little sister and niece in particular are huge motivators for me, because I knew that my success would trickle down to them. If I was able to graduate from college, it would be more of an reality for them -- I could show them its possible.

When school seemed like too much and I began convincing myself that there was something else for me out there, I would remember my little sister’s Kala’s visit to my university. She was so excited to be on a college campus with her big sister and I knew that I had that my become a motivator for her success.

I also surrounded myself with people that believed in me, that pushed me where i did not think I could go, and who also knew my life goals and could remind me why I needed college to get where I wanted to be.

Who Helped?

My mentor Jaime Willis was very instrumental in achieving my goal. Not only was she a constant motivator in my life and believed in me beyond my own capacity, she was a major resource! She helped me through the entire process, from applying to school and finding scholarships, to staying in school and dealing with the craziness of life, and finally to graduating and applying to graduate school. Jaime Willis has been a person that I could count on through out this entire process.

Also I used the resources that my school provided, and sometimes over used them if I must. If I had even a slight problem with my financial aid, I was constantly in their office talking with Mr. Tony Patterson, my financial aid counselor, who willingly took care of all my concerns.

If I had difficulties with my classwork, I would use the Undergraduate Tutorial centers, or visited my professors.

If I had any problem or concern about anything, I would seek out the person that can get it resolved, and would not hesitate to go as far as the university Chancellor if I had to.

So I used all people and resources available to me: my family, friends, and everyone at my University that could help me in my journey.

TGIF – Celebrate!

Once I was done with my last classes and sure that I was cleared for graduation, I invited everyone that I loved to come celebrate with me! I thanked all that helped me along the way, and began working towards my next goal.

Advice

For someone coming from my background and starting the overwhelming process towards being a college graduate, I advise you to seek help when needed and take help when given. I would not have been able to do this alone.

Being the first to graduate college means that your family is just as new to the process as you are, and, although they will offer their support and encouragement, they will not have the inside scoop. I found someone with the inside scoop from the very beginning and I avoided opportunities for failure and enjoyed situations of success because of their insight.

Also constantly remind yourself why you have chosen to go to college, because it will not be easy. Especially when you have come from a background that did not necessary prepare you for the challenge. You must disregard the thoughts of doubt and know that you are capable of succeeding because in reality we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

What’s Next?

My ultimate goal for my educational career is to complete medical school and become a medical doctor. But my life goal is to use my skill to serve my community and communities like mine by educating people about and providing health care.

Currently, I am working full time as a research assistant in a Food Science lab at North Carolina State University, I am also studying for the MCAT and applying to medical schools and public health programs. If you are an admissions counselor of a graduate medical program, I'd love to hear from you!