By Adriel Antoine, SAA 2020
As a senior at Boston College High School (BC High), I was motivated and determined to get into the college of my dreams. We all get told the stories of achieving academically combined with excelling outside of the classroom was the recipe for getting into the college you desired. After pressing send on an application, you and thousands of names are compiled into a list showcasing why you believe you are the best candidate for the institution(s) in question. After a series of rejections and waitlists, a large envelop with Providence College’s (PC) emblem on it appeared in my mailbox. Upon opening it, a letter detailed I had been chosen as a recipient for the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship; a full-tuition scholarship. It was finally here, “the best four years of your life” as everyone tells you. Not only had I secured my first acceptance, but it came without the financial strain college was inevitable to burden myself and my family with. Fast forward 3 years and the best four years of my life have been filled with challenge, conflict, and an array of protests, sit-ins, and student-lead forums due to a lack of administrative response to bias incidents on campus. In the midst of this eye-opening experience, my aspirations in life quickly changed. The ins and outs of a college institution consumed by racism, homophobia, sexism, and inequality, guarded by the veil of politics, bureaucracy, and religion was my college experience. One that contradicts what is shown in the movies and what we are told as we first move in during the summer.
One thing my college experience taught me was to infiltrate from within. The incremental yet important work that was done in four years was largely thanks to faculty and staff who worked at PC and used their agency to advocate, decipher, advise, and check-in on students going through more than what an 18-21-year-old should have to experience while at college. Without the compassion and patience of a select few, I have no doubt the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of the people I hold close to me would be even more tainted than it already had.
Being someone who was able to reach my goal of graduating, my new goal is to help others see the light at the end of the tunnel. College is the most unique four years of your life. The connections, bonds, lessons learned, pain, and elation upon completion taught me much about where I was meant to be working. Fast forward one more year and I am applying to graduate school. Who would’ve thought my only application would yield an acceptance to the number 1 Student Affairs program in the country with an assistantship once again covering the cost of tuition. Having been blessed with an academic journey void of too many financial hardships, I have been given an inside look on what it takes to endure a system filled with barriers against underrepresented groups but how to advocate from within said system. That is my call to action: to advocate for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves. To serve as a voice for others who may not have a seat at the table. To help engineer fruitful experiences for students of color and underrepresented students especially.