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ISBN 978-1880463-64-2
5.5 x 8.5 | 128 pages | $12.95
Also Available on Amazon Kindle
Who Will Benefit Most From This Book?
Planning a career or college pathway is not easy. While this book is only 128 pages, many teachers and counselors have concerns that there is too much reading and the concepts are too difficult for middle school and high school students to grasp. While I understand such concerns, my experience is that students are not only capable, but are receptive to the guidance being provided in this book. I recently spoke to classes of 9th grade students at a high school in Columbia, South Carolina where I asked students in each class to write a narrative response to the question, “What are your dreams and aspirations after high school?”
While there were many students who failed to write anything, and other students who only wrote one or two sentences about becoming rich or becoming a professional basketball or football player, there were a good number of students in each class who wrote introspective and self-reflective narratives.
“My dream is to become a choreographer at my own dance studio. It has been a dream that I have had since I was young. I am willing to put in whatever it takes to achieve my dream, no matter what. I love dancing, which has been my passion since I took my first steps.”
“My dream is to become a veterinarian and to own my own veterinarian clinic. I recognize that I have to overcome obstacles that I have in math and science. Today, after writing about my dreams and considering the obstacles, I now know the importance of working more closely with my math and science teachers who can help better prepare me for college.”
“My dream is to enlist in the Navy and pursue the Nursing Corps option. However, prior to today, I hadn’t thought about how I would actually achieve my dream. Now I know that to pursue the Navy Nursing Option, I will need to research each of the colleges that offer the NROTC Scholarship, and that have nursing programs. I will also need to know the type of academic performance I will need throughout high school to qualify for the scholarship. All in all, I now know that having a dream requires a lot more than just talking about your dreams!”
“My dream is to become a legendary comic book creator, artist, author, director, and horror film creator. My inspiration is Stephen King and Eiichiro Oda. My favorite kind of horror is Analog Horror, which depicts themes of VHS tapes and old school cartoons/movies.”
At the end of each class, students remained behind asking questions about what they could do to pursue their dreams. We talked about the available career pathways at their school, the type of classes they should take, and how to build their résumés to make themselves competitive job, college, or scholarship applicants. During the discussion about grades, every student acknowledged that they were not earning the grades of which they were capable. They were not engaging in their classes as well as they could. They were not studying at home or preparing for tests as well as they could. These students were repeatedly, and consistently, acknowledging that their work ethic was not aligned with their career aspirations.
ISBN 978-1880463-73-4
8.5 x 11 | 96 pages | $19.95
Developing an Individual Graduation Plan supports the guidance provided in “How to Plan Your Career or College Pathway.” The question, “What are your dreams and aspirations after high school?” is an important consideration when choosing a career or college pathway. As a middle school or high school student, you may not yet understand enough about your gifts, talents, interests, personality, or temperament to answer this question. Whether you can confidently answer the question or require more time, the day after high school will arrive. Considering this question can assist in guiding conversations with your parents or counselor when, as a middle school or high school student, you are considering a career or college pathway. Giving thought to the career or college pathway that you want to follow after high school could have an impact on your middle school course taking, both in your core and elective classes, which would determine your academic starting point in high school. Considering this question as you enter high school should guide your actions throughout high school across the areas of academics, leadership, employment, internships, and extracurricular activities. In essence, many of the choices that you make on a day-to-day basis from the time that you enter middle school throughout your high school experience should be “aligned” with your dreams and aspirations after high school.
ISBN 978-1880463-78-9
8.5 x 11 | 128 pages | $19.95
Who This Book is For
Whatever career or college pathway you choose, you must study as part of the learning process. However, “studying” and “learning” are different. Yet, doing both well is essential to whatever your chosen career or college pathway.
What is Studying?
Studying means “to read, memorize facts, attend school, etc., as part of the process of engaging in intentional efforts to acquire knowledge.”
What is Learning?
Learning means “to develop the ability to recall information from memory and apply to new situations.”
Whether you aspire to become an auto mechanic or a heart surgeon, both careers require that you develop successful study routines and learning strategies. The same is true of whether you plan to enter the workforce, enlist in the military, or attend college after high school. This book can help you to develop a planned approach to studying that will help you to become a better learner.
The following advice, provided in “How to Choose a College or Career Pathway,” applies to this book:
The students who will benefit most from this book are students who either have aspirations for the future, or want to identify the type of career pathways in which they can earn a living and enjoy the work. If you are such a student, but find the reading difficult, then read a few pages at a time and begin with the chapters that reflect your aspirations the most.
[How to Choose a College or Career Pathway, p. xii]
There are over 70 links to videos providing further guidance in how to implement these skills and strategies, and why they work. Whether you read about the strategies or view videos about the strategies, choose the routines and strategies that you believe will work best for you and begin experimenting. Whether your goal is to become a better student in a class, achieve a higher SAT, ACT or ASVAB score, learn how to repair an engine or fly a drone, studying and learning are essential to successfully achieving your goals.
ISBN 978-1880463-54-3
5.5 x 8.5 | 96 pages | $9.95
Available Now on Amazon.com on Kindle
How To Use This Book
This book is part of the Why Attend an HBCU series. As Sydnee stated in A Student’s Perspective, there are many educational and scholarship opportunities available at HBCUs for students who are willing to invest the time in researching schools and programs. Unfortunately, most students are driven primarily by either HBCU brand names, schools that are close to home, or applying to multiple schools through the Black Common Application without devoting sufficient time and attention to researching costs or matching to scholarships. The far too common result is students scrambling and parents experiencing anxiety over the costs, AFTER, students have applied to college. One student, through a Facebook posting (6/24/24) provides an example why applying for lots of scholarships does not replace the importance of engaging in thoughtful and deliberate college research:
“Hello. I will be an incoming freshman at NC A&T and I’m an out-of-state student. I’ve applied to over 100+ scholarships where I meet the criteria and requirements, however, I haven’t been awarded any money. Unfortunately, financial aid did not give me anything and I’m not sure what else to do.”
The HBCU Facebook Group, “Black, Brown & HBCU Bound,”1 reflects many such postings:
“My daughter has been applying for scholarships, consistently, but she just isn’t having success. She will be an incoming freshman at Hampton U and has strong stats- 4.0 gpa, 12hrs dual credit, 30 ACT, 200+ service hours, heavy ECs, etc, etc, etc. Her results def got her into the universities she applied to and she has received merit THAT WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL FOR, but there is still a gap we are seeking to close. She’s won a couple of local awards, but the large sums of money that folks often reference have definitely eluded our household. We invested in her k-12 education thinking it would all be recouped at graduation/college. Deep, deep SIGH. I appreciate this space so very much.”
“I am in the same boat as you. My daughter is attending Hampton as well and the same exact things you have said applies to my daughter as well. It’s sad and frustrating.”
“I am the mother of a rising senior (class of 2025)….we live in Texas, and she is ranked in the top 10% of her class with an ACT score of 29, and SAT score of 1300….she plans to retake both next month. Her #1 HBCU choice is Spelman, and her #2 is Howard. She wants to study political science as she wants to be a lawyer. She is very involved in school clubs, student body president, and is doing her 2nd law internship at a local law office. I know the cost of these two colleges is very expensive so I am looking for any advice from someone who has been in a similar situation.”
“My son did receive a merit scholarship however it is not enough. He has been applying for scholarships, but has not received any. Any suggestions? Desperate parent.”
This is not to suggest that applying for scholarships is not important, only that the research required to identify the ‘right’ schools and the scholarships to which you best match begins long prior to submitting your first college application. The Why Attend an HBCU series can:
- Provide insight into the amazing history and unique opportunities available at HBCUs.
- Provide guidance on identifying the HBCU programs and scholarships aligned with your career aspirations and financial need.
My wife and I have guided students onto many different career pathways into many different HBCUs. Many of these students either received a full scholarship from the school or were able to receive enough HBCU-specific scholarship money after enrollment to close any remaining financial aid gap. While these students attended different high schools in different cities and states, what they shared in common was engaging in thoughtful and deliberate college and scholarship research.
In Why Attend an HBCU, I provide facts pertinent to attending an HBCU and leave you to decide for yourself if attending an HBCU can meet your financial need, allow you to pursue your educational and career aspirations, and provide a sociocultural space in which you can thrive.
ISBN 978-1880463-55-0
5.5 x 8.5 | 160 pages | $12.95
Foreword
Pursuing a healthcare pathway will require long hours of studying math and science, which unfortunately, many students will leave high school inadequately prepared to succeed in entry-level college math and science coursework. Even straight ‘A’ students who have taken the highest-level math and science classes available at their high school, may find themselves ill-prepared for the rigor and pace of college-level math and science. Despite students’ entering college ill-prepared, HBCUs have a history of success with students pursuing careers in healthcare and America needs more diversity in healthcare.
The Haverford College article, “Why the U.S. Needs More Black Physicians,” shares an encounter between Dr. James Carter, a Black doctor, and a patient:
The woman sat up and stared as James Carter entered her hospital room. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally, he asked what she was looking at. “I had no idea there were Black doctors on this campus,” she replied. Carter, a cardiologist specializing in wound care at University of Colorado Hospital, has been practicing medicine for more than three decades—but this encounter didn’t take place early in his career. It happened last year.
As the United States faces a racial reckoning, glaring inequities among medical professionals persist, with Black physicians remaining particularly scarce. In 2003, when a landmark Institute of Medicine report called for an increase in minority healthcare workers to address long standing health disparities, Black people represented 12.4 percent of U.S. residents and 3.3 percent of physicians. Nearly 20 years later, Black Americans still make up 12.4 percent of the population—and only 5 percent of physicians. Haverford alumni working in medicine can attest that although the factors perpetuating the physician workforce gap are complex, they intersect to produce one clear-cut consequence: poorer health outcomes for Black individuals.
ISBN 978-1880463-55-0
5.5 x 8.5 | 160 pages | $12.95
Foreword
Most students are aware that the acronym STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, however, few students have been introduced to the range of careers that fall within each of these categories. Healthcare careers, which also fall under the broad category of STEM, are addressed separately in Vol II of this series, HBCU Healthcare Pathways.
Whether you are reading this book because you are considering a college major in STEM or exploring potential careers in STEM, this book will provide insight into both the obstacles and opportunities through HBCUs into graduate school or into the workforce. Whatever obstacles experienced by students in K-12 schools, HBCUs have a history of successfully preparing Black students for careers in STEM. Dr. Claudia Rankins, Program Director at the National Science Foundation, in “Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): NSF’s Role in Building Capacity for STEM Education and Research,” reports that while HBCUs only enroll 9% of Black undergraduate students, they graduate:
- 29.9% of Black students in Agriculture
- 27.8% of Black students in Physical Science
- 25.5% of Black students in Mathematics
- 24.7% of Black students in Biological Sciences
- 17.2% of Black students in Engineering
Whether or not you believe that a career in STEM is the right career for you, this book will provide guidance in exploring these careers, salaries for these careers, level of education required for these careers, the type of college curriculum associated with these careers, HBCUs considered leaders in preparing students for these careers, and how to match your interests to potential career pathways.
ISBN 978-1880463-55-0
8.5 x 11 | 384 pages | $29.95
How to Use This Book
If you are a high school student yet to apply to college, this book will help you develop a scholarship plan well in advance of applying to colleges and for scholarships, and provide guidance in matching to the ‘right’ scholarships and the ‘right’ colleges.
If you are a community college student planning to transfer to an HBCU, this book will provide you with similar guidance as if you were applying to college as a first-time freshman, but expanding to incorporate transfer scholarships and HBCU-specific scholarships for which you would qualify based on your transfer status as a first-, second-, or third-year students.
If you are currently attending an HBCU, this book will provide guidance in identifying and applying for scholarships that have been awarded to the many students with whom we guided into an HBCU and continue to guide them through their undergraduate program in preparation for applying to graduate school.
As you proceed through this book, the following 7 steps represent a proven approach for developing a successful college admission and scholarship plan:
Step 1:Take notes: It is advisable to devote a notebook or composition notebook solely to your college and scholarship research.
Step 2: Develop Separate Lists: Develop separate lists for scholarships, colleges, future employers, and internships.
Step 3: Make Note of Relevant Information: By making note of information as it is presented, together with the page number, you will easily and quickly be able to revisit information you deem important.
Step 4:Note Application Deadlines: As you identify opportunities for which you may not currently qualify or which deadlines have already passed, making note of future deadlines will allow you to plan forward.
Step 5:Continually Assess Your Body of Work: Continually assessing your body of work (i.e., grades, course taking, test scores, leadership, community service, extracurricular activity involvement, and honors and awards) will support your goal setting for becoming a stronger college, scholarship, internship, or employment applicant in the future.
Step 6:Set Goals: Expand on Step 5 by setting specific goals that pertain to specific opportunities. For example, the Karsh STEM Scholars Program at Howard University requires a math placement test. If this is an opportunity that you want to pursue, then you should set a goal of increasing your math proficiency well in advance of applying to the program.
Step 7:Understand Student Loans: If you are one of the 8 out of 10 students attending HBCUs who are taking out student loans, factor each loan into your scholarship strategy so that you are planning to use future scholarships to apply to your current student loan debt while still attending college. Doing so will decrease the amount of interest accumulating on your loans. Following this strategy can allow you to leave college debt-free even if you have already taken out student loans while attending college.