In a story about as old as time that is centered on the life experiences of an African American Male trying to figure out life while navigating college even though he knows that quitting is no where an option. Students and parents alike will walk away with a real story of how access to educational resources have a direct impact on the lived experience of a college student who can have interventions such as mentors, connecting to the campus community, and finding proper outlets of support for more than just in-classroom resources. From grief to triumph, 2.43 will certainly inspire you!
Chapter Quotes
Appetizers
Chapter 1: Landing on Plymouth Rock
The day that grades were showing up on my transcript, I noticed that the first one that came in was a D in Orientation to Engineering. I was sitting in the student center with three of my friends laughing at our typical madness when I happened to check my grades a little after 4pm when the pain of that D hit me. Once again, the same feeling that I felt when I got the D on my first English paper came back, but this time it was a little worse. That D wasn’t going anywhere, and I’ve never seen that letter grade on anything official like a transcript. I did what any student would do – I emailed my professor to see what happened.
Chapter 2: Scratchin’ and Surviving
For all of the many breaks I missed with the requirement to be back at my station within the allotted 15 minutes no matter what, I gave my supervisor my keycard with the biggest smile and a Goofy hat on my head with the words, “I quit” rolling off my lips. He immediately walked me outside of the Magic Kingdom and I caught the bus to get my luggage from my apartment. Everything worked perfectly and I was on a plane back to Birmingham, AL all within the same day to meet my mom. I had the biggest smile on my face because the torture was over.
Chapter 3: One in a Million / Dear Mr. Man - Rose Colored Glasses
Because I couldn’t miss out on a single shift to pay my bills and to eat, I walked to work for a little over a week until my dad was able to give me the family car, which was a Black 2007 Nissan Altima. I realized then that adulting was one of the most unfair things ever. It’s like I would hit a stride and then something would go wrong.
Chapter 4: I'm Here
Lord knows, I could not take another lashing from people who desperately wanted to otherize me based on what their perception of masculinity was. But I wished that I didn’t care what others thought. As mentioned before, hindsight is 20/20. However, I would replay Leona Lewis “Happy” Norman Hutchins “God’s Got a Blessing”, Fantasia “If I Was a Bird,” Black Men United “U Will Know” and Dorinda Clark-Cole “I’m Still Here” every day for hours and hours. Those songs gave me a voice for all the emotions I was dealing with internally, but it also gave me something to cling to.
Chapter 5: Victory Lap
The problem was the GRE was a test that cost over $200 and that was nowhere near the plan. Because I knew that it was my only shot, I took on extra shifts at each of my three different jobs and got the money within a week. I guess figuring it out was the only way I could see my way out when obstacles come. I submitted everything on my end, took the GRE test two-weeks later, and watched my email for weeks as the waiting game commenced.