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Dear Future Students,
I am not writing this letter to give you the highs and lows of college, but just to present you with insight on how my journey as a college freshman went. I want this letter to inform you about some of the things that happens in college; however, everyone's journey is not the same and it is up to you to define how it will go. I am Lyrik and my freshman college experience was defining. It definitely made me evaluate who I am as a person. Close to the end of the semester, I began to lose the very essence of me I began to shut down and shut everyone out. I became too dependent on my instructors that I felt incompetent. I needed to do things on my own. As some of you know, college is not like high school. You may encounter a professor that is willing to guide you a little more than usual, but most will treat you as the adult you should be acting like. No one is going to give you any handouts. If you want to pass the classes you are taking, you are going to have to EARN it. For my college one class, it required lot of group projects. Working in groups has its challenges. If you do not mind doing all the work in a “team” assignment by all means pursue group work. Group work taught me how to get frustrated, tired, and annoyed by team members. I cannot say I learned anything helpful about working in groups because it is always me ending up doing everything while everyone else is relaxing. Team assignments are for those who have more patience and are willing to get the job done collectively. As well as doing the required group work, there was required reading material as well. The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse was a book that was the topic of discussion each class. The instructor assigned five golden lines each week from each chapter. If you do not know, golden lines are sentences or phrases that popped out to you while reading. Some of my golden lines form the text were: “You Mexicans are the niggers in this country, which is a real shame cause nobody in this damn country realizes how hard all you guys work.” pg.19&20 “God is the fear that motivates you to protect yourself from evil.” pg. 57 “...I treated women like unexpected gusts of cool air on a hot, dry day, a soft westward breeze (westward because the sun sets and disappears in the west, where all women head to sooner or later). Then I moved on. ” pg.93 “Why chase a bus when another one’s right around the corner?” pg.130 I am a part of the Ujima Program. This Program was specifically designed for the unique experiences of African American students. Students in the Ujima Program are projected to succeed through rigorous and challenging curriculum. The expectation for Ujima students is quite high. Research has shown that students who have additional support, resources and expectation from faculty and staff members react more responsibly and achieve higher rates of academic success. As a first year experience program, Ujima students will gain the skills necessary to be a competitive college student. These skills are acquired through course completion, tutoring, mentorship, counseling, peer learning and motivation. Ujima students will develop a new sense of dedication to OUR community while learning ways to be contributing members of a global society. Being in this program has its benefits including:
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