'Real World' by Ornella

'Real World' by Ornella - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

“Hi my name is Ornella Tchoumie and I am first-year Integral major and High Potential student…” that is my introduction to anyone I have sent an email to on campus, or at times that is how I will introduce myself to the staffs and faculties. I used that line because it is a way to advocate for myself because everyone on campus knows what a High Potential student is. A High Potential student is someone who is a first generation college student. As an HP student I have to work twice as hard in my pursue of a higher education and that is because the statistics are against me; it is even more difficult for me because I come from a first generation family of immigrants, and I am a woman of color. Being a woman of color at a predominately white school makes me feel insecure especially when I am the only black person in my major, this leads to me being the only black person in all of my classes.
Although, I have these odds stacked against me, I have found a way to make these odds work in my favor by learning how advocate for myself and not live up to the labels put on me by society. Advocating for myself is an important accomplishment for me because by doing so I was able to find an on campus job the first week of being on college. I have created strong relationships with my professors and have found ways to network with the staffs and faculties on campus this has led me to potentially being able to intern for CISCO during the summer.
College is the ‘real world’ for me because everything I experience is new to me and my family. I am forced to be independent because I do not have anyone in my family to guide me through this process, and that is why learning how to advocate for myself is important because I do not have to go through the process of achieving a higher education by myself when I have people on campus who are willing to help me when I ask for help.