The College Life: Minority Edition
You’re a minority on a college campus, and being a minority somehow makes you feel distant. However, never fear, because here’s how college campuses are doing their best to include diversity and welcome minority students. Faith (Valparaiso University ‘22) shares her insights with AM Money once again!
It’s that time again, students! You’ve graduated high school, and you’ve committed to that college that you’ve always dreamed of going. UCLA? Howard? Harvard? Spelman, maybe? You step foot on that fresh green grass, let the sun soak into your already vibrant skin, and you do it...You exhale. In (deep breath) and out (release). However, you open your eyes, and you start to look around. You start to feel excluded and singled out, and that makes you feel smaller. You’re a minority on a college campus, and being a minority somehow makes you feel distant. However, never fear, because here’s how college campuses are doing their best to include diversity and welcome minority students:
Organizations
Don’t be alarmed! You can find your place on any college campus through the organizations that have been put in place for all students across the board. From the Black Student Organization (BSO) to the Office of Multicultural Programs (OMP), you can be involved on your campus and be comfortable. I know, it’s scary coming into a larger environment and feeling as though you don’t fit in. We’ve all been there, but you won’t have to look too far to find that comfort.
Originality
As if the organizations aren’t welcoming enough, college campuses also give you room to be original. Therefore, if you feel as though nothing on campus appeals to you as a minority, colleges give you leg room to create your own atmosphere for yourself and other minorities. You’re not confined to being apart of just the things that are offered on campus. So let’s get to it!
Do All College Campuses Offer Minorities A Welcoming Environment?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is no. A lot of colleges and universities are missing the diversity factor on their campuses, making minority students that do choose to go there feel as though they’re outsiders instead of apart of a community. They’re missing the cultural aspects of the minority lifestyle, and some colleges and universities aren’t open to other cultures. This is obviously one of the issues that needs to be fixed, and we’ve got work to do!
Faith Smith, Valparaiso University ‘22
NEW PARTNER ALERT!
This fall, we’re teaming up with UtmostU, an organization that works with students who are a semester away from graduating, but have "stopped-out" because family or life situations have prevented them from finishing.
This fall, we’re teaming up with UtmostU, an organization that works with students who are a semester away from graduating, but have "stopped-out" because family or life situations have prevented them from finishing. We’ll provide the financing, UtmostU will provide counseling and assistance with non-academic expenses, and the students will contribute a measured amount to show they have "skin in the game." With this pilot program, we hope to get five more UtmostU students to graduation by next spring. Let’s go!
Life, The College Way
Getting that degree comes with that green! Having a college degree can take you far in life, and here’s a few benefits of chasing that goal… Faith Smith gives us her perspective (Valparaiso University ‘22)
You’re sitting at home watching reruns of everyone’s favorite HBCU sitcom depicting the lifestyle of a group of African American college students preparing themselves to go out into the world. Yes, you’re watching A Different World. Every season, you watch Dwayne, Whitley, Kim, Freddie, Ron, Jaleesa, and the rest of the characters go through each year of college until they graduate with their degree. Afterward, you watch them turn that degree into their future careers like doctors, engineers, professors, etc. Having a college degree can take you far in life, and here’s a few benefits of chasing that goal:
Benefit #1: Give Me The Loot!
Getting that degree comes with that green! According to research done by Cornerstone University, the yearly income gap between high school graduates and college degree holders is more than $17,500. College graduates also earn $1 million more in their earnings over their lifetime. Therefore, depending on your level of degree (Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate) you’ll be on your way to making more cheese to satisfy your everyday needs.
Benefit #2: Mama, I Made It!
In terms of employment, there are more jobs available to college graduates after graduation than there are for high school graduates. College graduates have immediate access to their careers where they can be on their way to becoming a doctor like Kim or a big shot engineer in Japan like Dwayne. According to FinAid, college graduates have half the unemployment rates as school graduates and as stated before, better job security. They also have better benefits on the job, such as health care and retirement plans. Do you know what that means? You’ll be set for life...sorta!
Benefit #3: Let Society Watch You Work!
So you have all the money and the career, but what about your place in society? Almost everyone wants to leave their mark on this earth in their own special way, and what better way to do that than having a degree? It’s more than just a piece of paper with your name and accomplishments on it. That’s your ticket to not only mold yourself into the career-driven, determined young woman or man you want to be, but it also allows you to reconstruct your society the way you see fit, even in the smallest of ways. I know you’re sitting there contemplating what you should do, so I’ll help you. Stand up, pick up your phone or your laptop, and connect with a college or university you’re interested in to learn more about it. That’s the first step to not only a great decision but also a great life.
Faith Smith, Valparaiso University ‘22
"What is one piece of financial advice you wish you had received when you were 18 years old?"
When I think about what I know now about finance, credit, loans, saving, spending, budgeting, interest…I didn’t have money to save, spend, or budget. I wasn’t ready for a credit card…
Amanda here, head of Ops at A.M. Money. I answered this question on a Financial Literacy panel at After School Matters’ senior send off last week, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
When I turned 18, I was two things:
Way too excited to start my freshman year at U of I (that’s University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for those of you who are not from Chicago)
Completely broke.
So when I think about what I know now about finance, credit, loans, saving, spending, budgeting, interest, fdsifoding (oops my brain just imploded)… I had to think hard about what I wish I had known at 18. I didn’t have money to save, spend, or budget. I wasn’t ready for a credit card…
Finally I realized what I really needed as a graduating high school senior: people.
I wish I had known and taken advantage of the resources around me: the financial aid office, the writing center, and career center at U of I. I wish I had made more relationships with professors and staff members who could have helped me when s*** hit the fan. Relying on good ol mom and dad wasn’t always an option, and most of it I just had to figure out by myself.
My friend Jawann at The Academy Group teaches a class called “CEO of Myself” which frames a young person’s life as a business with a board of directors, where they are the CEOs. If I was the CEO of my life at 18, I for sure did not have a Chief Financial Office to help me manage the money issues in my life.
My advice to 18-year-old Amanda: Find your resources and network and make them your CFO.
This advice definitely would have helped my broke self build the infrastructure to make smarter decisions, research the best options out there, and ultimately start building wealth earlier.