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2007-2008 School Year Success Stories

High School: East Boston High School
College: Bunker Hill Community College
Adviser: Lillian O'Donnell
Student: Phat

I met Phat at a financial aid workshop that some of our programs at the high school had put together. Slumped in his chair, he seemed disinterested. His sweatshirt hood shadowed his face and an Ipod earbud hung out of one ear. Whether it was high school "cool" theatrics or a genuine indifference, I was unsure, but I knew he must have cared about college to make it to the event. By the close of the night, I had mostly spoken to his mother, a Vietnamese immigrant, while we filled out his FAFSA worksheet. I said goodbye to Phat and told him to come see me in my office during school some time, so we could talk about applying to colleges. The very next day, to my surprise, he came to my office. We talked about private and public schools and all the parts of an application. When we got to the essay piece, it produced an ennui similar to what I had witnessed at our financial aid night. The essay is your chance to be creative, I explained. You can detail a traumatic event in your life, or you can wax on about your love for skateboarding. It can be as light or as serious as you want it to be, as long as it is reflective of who you are and what you want them to know about you. "Really?" he asked.

Phat's essay on skateboarding was far beyond any of the others I had seen. It was lyrical, creative, intense, and an exploration of perseverance. He wrote about finding meaning in every day objects, because skateboarding taught him to see the ignorable structures in our lives as something new and exciting. Despite grades not quite reflective of his ability, Phat was selected as a Boston Public School Scholar at Wentworth Institute of Technology, which will provide him with an education that is practically free. He will study architecture or chemistry. There's no doubt it was Phat's hard work that earned him all his college acceptances and success, but I can't help but think my blurting of the word "skateboarding" right after "essay" triggered the passion that had been missing in his college process. As I finish this year, I realize there are very few students who are indifferent to their college processes, no matter what they'll have you believe. Phat, just as many others do, checks into my office several times a week armed with an excitement for his future that I will never forget.

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