I previously earned my associate’s degree at Stella and Charles Guttman Community College. It was the best college experience I have had. The people were so nice and supportive. Each section of the college was accessible. The perks of the college were generous. I live in New York City, specifically Harlem, and to get to college I had to take public transportation, so, the college gave out free MetroCards to full-time students. All you had to do was bring your Guttman ID card and it was given to you. Considering the cost of transportation, this was very generous of them. What other college do you know in the city or state that has public transportation gives out free MetroCard’s? Another thing was the overall support from faculty members and staff. If you have an issue with your financial aid, paying for classes out of pocket, mental health, food, they took care of it. Before graduating in the summer of 2019, my advisor and I came together to pick out the best school that would fit my needs like social life, tuition, major, class, location, etc., so when I walked across the stage that summer, she and many other faculty members who helped me throughout my college journey at that point were there to cheer me on.

Here’s my college graduation celebration — skip all the way to 2:11:28 as that is when my name is called.

I later enrolled in a four-year college in New York, but I didn’t like the school environment as it was too big for my liking; over 10,000 students. Also, people were not interested in class and caused scenes and fights. Furthermore, the transportation was difficult. It took over two hours for me to get to campus. I had to take the train, then the Staten Island Ferry, and finally, the campus bus, which took over 25 minutes to arrive. So, I decided to take the spring semester off and transfer to another school. Unfortunately, the colleges I was interested in rejected my application. I applied to Pomona College and Bowdoin College. I waited for over three months, and when I checked the application portal for the results, I was rejected. I was a little disappointed because those schools covered tuition and housing if the financial aid package wasn’t enough. However, this did not discourage me from finding a place to study.

Most of the universities and colleges submitted their admissions decisions around February-March, and when May came around, I didn’t have many options open. I wanted to go to a school and

play the sport I loved ever since childhood: basketball and with a major in journalism. So, I did a quick search on Google, looking for the best Division III colleges in the country. A picture of Buena Vista University’s small campus in Storm Lake, Iowa, was one of the first things I saw. I looked at the academic programs and the basketball roster and decided this is the place where I want to be.  I got accepted a while later and didn’t expect to spend my junior year on zoom, but COVID put everyone’s plans on hold.

I stayed at BVU because of the support I received, as I am a remote student from a distance away and people in my situation would get down on themselves, but not me! Over these past couple of years, I have made relationships with people across the university with my involvement in clubs and organizations. I am a member of The Tack Online, BVU’s Multimedia news organization, Black Student Union (BSU), Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ) and I am a student member of the National Association for Black Journalists (NABJ) as well as the National Association for Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). BVU has everything I want in a university in getting involved along with the supportive atmosphere.

I became an award-winning journalist at this university. I won first place in the collegiate Sports Writing category in the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation contest. My piece, originally published in The Tack, is called “The Impact and Influence of LeBron James,” and was chosen for “outstanding reporting on an African-American individual.” I was named Black Student Union MVP, a club on campus, for 2021, and Assistant Opinion Editor for 2021-2022. I became an eight-time scholarship winner at this university. I have made the Dean’s list twice at this school. I have accomplished so much  and broken expectations for what a remote student is supposed to be like. As a remote student, I can’t physically socialize with my classmates, get involved in most extracurricular activities, and truly experience campus life. However, I went past that and beyond.