Three Things I Can`t Live without Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Three Things I Can`t Live without - Essay Example Although they do not cost much, they are the invaluable resources in my life that fuel my passion to go on and help me to live my life so that I can bless others the way loved ones have blessed me. Walking out through the front door of my house every morning, I notice there’s one thing that I never have to check my pockets for to make sure I did not leave it behind – the love of my closest family and friends. No matter where I go, it is with me and can never be taken away. The indispensable love of my mother, Rebecca, is foremost in my heart. She has taught me how to love, how to endure, and how to selflessly care for others. Having born me when she was 15 and raising me without a husband, my mom never had it easy. She could have given up many times and let the gravity of her situation make her bitter and resentful, but she made the choice to love and persevere through the hard times. I often marveled at how she kept things together and loved me unconditionally despite all the heartache and trauma I dragged her through at times. The love of my grandparents is another treasure in my heart that strengthens me each day. My grandfather was a great man and like a dad t o me, as I hardly even know my real father. And it was my grandmother who taught me how to be strong. She was very firm and laid down the strict rules, as opposed to my grandfather, who was really a pushover. If I was not home by the time the streetlights turned on, I knew my grandmother was going to give me a very hard time. Also, a few of my friends who stuck with me through thick and thin showed me that love is not about what you can get out of someone but about what you can give. This tough but unconditional love that friends and family showed me through the years is by far my most cherished asset – one which I could never do without. The second thing I could never live without is my dignity.  

Mentoring students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mentoring students - Essay Example In 4 years, 43% of majority students earned bachelor degrees, and 47.3% of them earned bachelor degrees in 9 years (Grayson, 2004;). This national data provide ample evidence of limited gains and significant losses in the enrollment figures of African-American students in institutions of higher learning. These trends, evident over at least the last 15 years, plague institutions and persist despite recruitment and retention initiatives, as well as government-supported programs and legislative actions. This trend .is a clear imperative to colleges and universities to prioritize a commitment to diversity and to reexamine existing retention practices and programs. Tinto (2000) conceptualized retention as an interactional process between student and institution characteristics. When student and institution characteristics do not mesh, students experience isolation, have difficulty identifying and feeling part of the institution, and are more likely to withdraw. Academically successful students, who persist through graduation, have been found to successfully integrate into the academic and social culture of the institution they attend (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2001, 2002). This integration process increases student satisfaction with the institution, creates a sense of belonging at the institution, and creates a stronger commitment to the institution's educational goals and standards, leading to an increased involvement with learning (Levin & Levin, 2000). This integration process is difficult for African-American students, especially at predominately White institutions (Grayson, 2004; Mayo, Murguia, & Padilla, 2001; Sedlacek, 2002). Oftentimes, African-American students at predominately White institutions feel they are in a foreign land and experience predominately White institutions as foreign colleges with alien cultures and communities (Tinto, 2000). Over the past 40 years, students' characteristics have changed from White upper-or middle-class, academically skilled backgrounds to a complicated mix of socioeconomic, cultural, and academic-preparation backgrounds. Predominately White institutions often are unaware of the social, academic, and cultural needs of African-American students and of the barriers these students face in completing their 4-year degree. All too often, these institutions continue business as usual without addressing these needs and barriers (Phillip, 2000). It is not uncommon for African-American students in these environments to feel isolated, to question their academic ability, to experience inferiority feelings, and to question their self-worth. They also often experience disrespect, lower expectations, and pressure from peers not to perform well academically. Because of these experiences, African-American students often have difficulty communicating with the majority students, faculty, and staff at predom inately White institutions and experience the negative effects of racism and other forms of discrimination (Belluck, 1999; Morgan, 2000, 2003; Phillip, 2000; Sedlacek, 2002; Walters, 2003). They become separated from the mainstream social and academic cultures on White campuses and become isolated and alienated from the institution (Phillip, 2000; Suen, 2000). Without what has been described as a "critical mass" (a large number of African-American students to create supportive minority subcultures on campus) or a strong