Oshae Rodgers was introduced to me by the Chief of Staff for the President of California State University Northridge (CSUN) during a trip where I was the keynote speaker for the Academic Innovation Showcase. I share his story with awe regarding his cognitive ability to persevere and remain resilient in the face of challenge. Stories, when contextualized properly, can change beliefs. Beliefs that wrongly assume at times that students of color, who struggle with family circumstances and poverty, are not as talented and gifted as those from wealthier circumstances. Oshae soundly debunks that myth. His first semester he secured a GPA of 3.94. He finished his freshman year on a similar trajectory. His mission is to become a teacher - a noble calling which embraces life in service of others. His story is instructive to us all about the power of belief.
Oshae Rodgers is this week's author.
Close your eyes. Imagine you are a 17-year old boy who just started his senior year of high school. You feel like the world is in the palm of your hands, then you lose it all. You are displaced from your home, your mother struggles with prescription drugs, and you have nowhere else to go. You end up staying in an extra storage room in a classmate's house. It is wintertime and the heater does not work, plus they cannot afford to get you a bed, so you sleep on the floor. Holidays come and go as you usher them in with strangers. One day, you examine your life and decide to take a step in a new direction, leaving everything behind. Your life is changed forever.
That was my situation a couple of years ago. I grew up as a minority in a poverty stricken community where thinking outside of the box was not accepted. My peers struggled to escape this environment that was polluted by a lack of motivation, whereas I refused to let my circumstance become my reality. My parents became divorced when I was just a child, and I lived with my mother until she had difficulty providing for my little brother and me as we grew older. We went to live with our father, and I spent my high school years with him until I was displaced. I continued to work 35 hours a week at my job while trying to retain good grades. Quite some time went by where I had not deeply examined my state of being. I realized that I was sincerely unsatisfied with my lack of progress. My ship was staying afloat, but it was not anchored in anything that I was proud of. Taking a hard look at my life was a painful process, but a process that I could no longer avoid. My uncle, to whom I had not spoken in a long while, contacted me and offered his assistance. He told me that as long as I went to college he would guide me along the way. It was at this moment that I felt, for the first time in a long time, like life was not through with me yet.
It is my first day of college. I am a freshman at California State University Northridge (CSUN) surrounded by thousands of other students. Am I intimidated? Slightly. Am I excited? Extremely. This is what I had been waiting for. I was finally here. I decided to double major in History and Africana Studies while taking certain courses for the Teaching Credential Track. I completed the first semester of my college career with a 3.94 GPA, which put me on the Dean's List. CSUN has given me a better understanding of the academic world and I have enjoyed my growth. I came to realize how important an education is to the success of an individual living in the world we live in today. My grandfather, who was a professional in academia, used to say "each one teach one." This always stuck with me because it helped me to see that every student is capable of learning; it is just a matter of how they are being taught. It was at this point in my life I knew I wanted to teach.
Later in my college career, I walked into a classroom and saw the faces of young, hopeful children. A nostalgic feeling overwhelmed my spirit as I immediately saw myself in them. I saw children who wanted to be shown that they were cared about and that their education was important. They were currently growing up lacking not only the necessary resources to get through life, but the guidance as well.
At a middle school in The Valley, I mentored and tutored these students. As I worked with them, I fell in love with the idea of helping youth gain knowledge. I realized that each and every single one of them was capable of learning and had a purpose in their life; it was just a matter of getting them to come to this realization themselves. I told them that they were each special in their own way, and I meant it. By working with these students, I knew that I could have an impact on their future.
One day I hope to start a foundation that will help children in need have the opportunity to visit colleges and see the endless possibilities in higher education. I would also like to hold a position on a state school board so I can make a larger impact across multiple communities. Through teaching and service to my community, I aspire to make a difference in the lives of many.
I write this today as a young man who has examined his life and found it worth living. At one point in time I was fearful of this examination because I knew that pain and turmoil would be my result. I can now say that, instead, my results have been purpose and fulfillment. Examination is a lifelong process. After doing so, one must proceed with caution.
But we must proceed nonetheless.
"The unexamined life is not worth living, but the examined life is painful."
-Cornel West
Eric J. Cooper is the founder and president of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, a nonprofit professional development organization that provides student-focused professional development, advocacy and organizational guidance to accelerate student achievement. He can be reached at e_cooper@nuatc.org. He tweets as @ECooper4556. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
