My college journey has been a rocky road. I initially decided to go to one college, major in

one thing for 4 years, and move on. Unknown to me, that would not be the case. I went into

U of M as a double major in music education (vocal) and composition but faced things such

as imposter syndrome, anxiety, depression, loneliness, etc. The passion that I once had felt

as though it was stripped from me and, in turn, left me with a lot of grief. Through the U of

M resources (CAPS, teachers, students) I realized that I was and am good enough and I

wasn’t alone in feeling these negative things. I wanted to rebuild my passion, and in finding

other things that interest me, I made the decision to change majors and use music as a

hobby and outlet like I had done once before. I am now on a steady track and enjoy

attending classes, doing homework, and the college experience as a whole.

comfortable around other Black people, and knowing that I had to leave home, I wanted as

much comfort as I could get. In talking with family, friends, and financial aid advisors, I

came to the decision that U of M gave me the best bet as my support system wasn’t far,

and they gave me a good amount of money. I will admit I was looking to transfer out of U of

M because I had a poor start freshman year, but when I saw first-hand the resources

available, how my support system was still supporting me—even from afar—and how the

professors made a huge impact on how I learned and my willingness to do so I knew that

even if it took me a while to realize it U of M was definitely the place for me.

What do you wish you knew during your college-going process?

time alone and learn what a good time alone feels like and looks like so

they can take it with them moving forward. I know that as a planner

knowing that a 3.8 and 1300 would get me a full ride to many places

Photo credit: Dallas McGhee-Henry

I would have taken that information and made it real. While I aimed to get a 4.0 and 1600, I

had to learn the hard way that aiming for perfection can burn you out, so knowing those

numbers, I feel like I would have relaxed more while still doing everything I needed to do.

What were you involved in when you were in high school? What are you involved in at

captain of the softball team. I have always been extremely competitive, so softball was

great for that, but music has always been not just a passion but an outlet for me, so while I

am not currently playing or in an organization for music, I still keep both music and

competition in my life.

Why did you decide to be part of the I2A team? What are your hopes for I2A?

I joined I2A because I was one of the students who thought they would major in one thing

for 4 years and be done. I didn’t realize that I would go through a lot of things in terms of a

sense of self-realization, depression, anxiety, loneliness, etc. So I want to help students

I would still be helping people, just in different ways.

I always knew that I would attend college, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go for a

while. I always felt like I was behind because it seemed like everyone around me knew

exactly where they wanted to go and what they wanted to study. I had to go through a lot

of trial and error with campus visits, searching for information about colleges, and figuring

out what exactly I wanted in an institution. I narrowed down my options but was lucky

enough to be able to apply to quite a few schools. I knew that Michigan was my dream

school at that point, but I wanted to keep my options open depending on scholarships that

were made available to me or in case I did not make it into Michigan.

always knew that I wanted to have a career in something that required at least a Bachelor’s

degree. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I decided I wanted to do

something in the environmental field. I took an introductory environmental science course

at my local community college during the summer before my junior year and knew that I

wanted to pursue environmental science.

I wish I had more information about the application process for each school and programs

many students to go and attend campus tours or information sessions for each college

they are interested in. This information should be readily available online due to this barrier.

I definitely had a tough time navigating through college websites to find out what my path

would be at each school, and what I would have to do to apply.

Key Club, I was in choir and took vocal lessons, and was the Vice President of our Amnesty

International chapter. At U of M, I have focused most of my energy on being a member of

the Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) Student Government. I am an elected

representative, the Chair of the Sexual Misconduct Response and Prevention Task Force,

and the Vice-Chair of the Taking Responsibility for the Earth and Environment

Subcommittee. It is quite time-consuming but so rewarding to have a positive impact on

students’ lives and make a difference in the community at Michigan.

Why did you decide to be part of the I2A team? What are your hopes for I2A?

out to be. Accessibility is a very important part of the college application process, and I feel

like there is a lot more to be done to make this experience easier for prospective students.

Additionally, I want current high school students to be able to explore all opportunities

after graduation—not just the traditional 4-year college experience. It puts a lot of pressure

important to me, but I didn’t know all of the best scholarship opportunities and which ones

to apply for. I also felt uneasy because I didn’t know if the colleges I was applying to were

the best fit for me and if I was applying for the right reasons.

I wish I knew about the opportunities for low-income students at more colleges, such as

institutional grants, location-specific scholarships, and financial aid resources, in addition to

the FAFSA, such as the CSS profile. I almost didn’t apply to U of M because I thought it

wouldn’t be financially possible for me to attend this college. However, it ended up being

applied!

Photo credit: Dallas McGhee-Henry

Michigan Pole Dance Society, and I hope to join other dance teams next semester as well.

I decided to join the I2A team because I hope to make the college-going process easier for

others. I hope I can be the person that I would’ve liked to help me when I was going

through the process. As a part of this team, I hope for us to be united in working towards

our goal of starting the I2A program. I also hope to learn about being a more

compassionate listener and building strong, trusting relationships.

What was your college-going journey like?

My college-going journey was not the smoothest. It was greatly impacted by the

only had 1-2 counselors per grade, each class being made of about 400 students. Although

I was one of the “overachievers” in my class, I was often left with unanswered questions

In the end, it was also something I wanted to achieve for myself and to be able to be a

became a no-brainer for me. I knew it would be difficult, but the opportunity to go to an

institution such as U of M was too good to turn down.

What were you involved in when you were in high school? What are you involved in at

U of M?

In high school, I was involved in various avenues. Before COVID-19, I was involved in a

program called Michigan Hispanic Collaborative where I was able to receive college and

professional advice. I was also a scholarship recipient for another program called Atlantic

Impact to be able to take courses abroad but it was interrupted by the pandemic. During

the peak of COVID-19, I was able to join two youth advisory boards in Detroit. My time

My college journey was honestly one filled with lots of insecurity, indecision, and

cluelessness. As a first-generation college student, I often found myself taking a stab in the

dark at the application process. I often felt as though higher education was out of reach

and that I was only applying because other kids from school were, not because I actually

saw myself in such a setting, nor because I was used to seeing kids from my neighborhood

going. Despite those feelings, I decided to go to college after high school because I am

interested not only in broadening my opportunities financially, but also in expanding my

opportunities for self-growth. Universities are vast webs of knowledge filled with all kinds of

people, and coming from a relatively homogeneous community on the west side of

Chicago, I knew that meeting diverse individuals with differing backgrounds would not

During the college-going process, I wish I’d known more about how much the community

such as whether or not they have your major, if they’re rural or urban, how far it is from

Program and the Summer Bridge Scholars Program. Both of these programs, along with

other programs and spaces of interest, allowed me to build a sense of belonging on

What were you involved in when you were in high school? What are you involved in at

U of M?

community throughout high school and showed me that maintaining your community

something they love enough to stick with for all four years if possible. I was also involved in

soccer despite having to drop it after 8+ years due to time conflicts. While some things

come to an end in your life in some ways, they can continue in others.

Photo credit: Dallas McGhee-Henry

Other than that, I was involved in the National Honor Society as a member, the French

Honor Society as Membership Chair, and in a magazine publication as a writer. Many of

these programs were gateways to my desire to engage in service-based learning, which I

art and business-related paid apprenticeship programs through the After School Matters

and One Summer Chicago programs in Chicago. At U of M, I am currently on the advisory

board of a scholarship program for first-generation students called the Kessler Scholars

Program. Furthermore, I am an Ambassador for the I2A program in an effort to develop my

passion for outreach and mentorship. I also have a job outside of the university at CVS. It is

my intention to get involved in other clubs and organizations on campus to continue to

build my community and make the most of the U of M experience.

however it may look for them. It is my hope that I2A develops to include a closer, cohort-

based mentorship program to exist in tandem with outreach. I also hope I2A is eventually

able to expand and perhaps connect kids across the nation who are of similar

circumstances (e.g. inner-city Detroit with inner-city Chicago).

My college-going journey was tough. I didn’t know where I wanted to apply, but I did know

finish the application process. My school’s college counselor left in the first week of

October, which is the most important month for college applications, FAFSA, and

had no direct understanding, she asked a lot of questions and found organizations to get

How did you decide on going to college after high school?

After high school, deciding the college I wanted to attend was easy. I got accepted to my

dream school and got a full ride for my first year of college. My first year was covered by a

scholarship from Detroit Promise, which is a scholarship provided to students from Detroit.

After submitting the FAFSA, I received some federal grants and the Go Blue Guarantee

could have gone smoothly. With time passing, everything had accumulated and it was too

much to handle, and with that came stress and my desire to quit the process and not go to

college. If I had that information sooner, the process may not have felt as long or

complicated.

Photo credit: Dallas McGhee-Henry

What were you involved in when you were in high school? What are you involved in at

U of M?

with college things, being part of the school after COVID-19, encouraging them to get

involved, etc.), and Brave Space (an LGBTQ+ support club). I am currently not involved with

anything at U of M besides I2A, but I plan on getting more involved next semester. I have

Why did you decide to be part of the I2A team? What are your hopes for I2A?

graders think about what is best for their future and what they want, as well as to support

them in the decisions they make.