OHS Visit

From an educational standpoint as someone who grew up in Orange I know that the public high schools in the area are not known to have the most motivated or engaged students. So when I initially found out that we would be going to Orange High School to help them with their college application essays I was a bit weary towards the idea. Growing up in the area and having an understanding of the majority demographic of students who attend OHS, I have always known that many of them live in environments where education is not necessarily a top priority or parents struggle to support them.

With this information sitting in the back of my mind my expectations for this visit were pretty low as different thoughts ran through my head: Would the students be receptive to our help? Do they even care? Was I the right person to be giving them advice? How could I best help when it’s been years since I’ve gone through this process myself? But along with my doubts also came an excitement to help so I went in to this visit with as much of an open mind as possible.

It has been a few years since I applied to college and I honestly don’t remember every step I went through but I do remember the emotions that I felt during the process. I was nervous, overwhelmed, and excited all at the same time. After reflecting on these emotions I knew that I would not have gotten through the application process without the support of my family and friends to help me brainstorm, write, and revise the numerous essays I had to submit. As stated in Writing and Collaboration, “Reading one another’s work and listening to one another’s work read aloud gives students the confidence in the value of their own words and ideas” (Bruffee, 61).  So when I initially sat down at the table in the library the girl sitting across from me clearly had a timid nature and an overwhelmed look on her face. I knew that I needed to be the person to direct her ideas and enforce confidence in her as we collaborated together.

Getting her to talk at first was like pulling out teeth but when she finally started going she really opened up to me. She shared with me her love for drawing and music, feelings of being overwhelmed with applications, and her fears of her parents not being able to support her collegiate aspirations. I was not expecting to connect with her on this level when we had first met but I’m glad we did. When her teacher came around to check in on her towards the end of our time she asked her if she was still feeling overwhelmed and the student’s response was that she felt more confident about doing her essays now. I felt a sense of accomplishment that I was able to give her the help needed and make it feel less overwhelming. As I looked around the library seeing our class and the OHS students collaborate together I was glad to see all the students excitement towards our help and engaging in conversations which challenged the stigma many locals give them in not caring about their future.