OUR Accelerated Success: In my neighborhood, this is how respect was won.

Speaking To GEAR-UP Students in Lancaster, PA!

Growing up as a child in the city of Syracuse, New York, you had many expectations. Most of my early stage expectations were a by-product of the world in which I lived. Growing up in poverty the expectations were often external:

To be the better athlete so that you could make a name for yourself in town.
To one day drive a nice car and live in a nice home so that you could show your neighborhood you made it.
To dress better than or to wear the most expensive jewelry you could afford just to have the appearance of success to those around you.

In my neighborhood, this is how respect was won. Expectations even came from a few people in prison who the boys in the neighborhood considered legendary. Why, because they were respected by the community. Respect was important and drove many of our actions and interactions.

For years this mindset controlled my expectations. Fortunately something happened later on in life-the light bulb went off. The message of college and the power of college to provide a better life overrode my desire to be the most respected person in my neighborhood. The external factors that drove my very being as a child were taken over by the desire to use education to achieve my life goals. I still wanted to play sports, but now sports was a means to get money for college. College became the expectation. Why did this happen? My expectations changed. My expectations became centered on a new outcome and this caused the old way of thinking to become a thing of the past. Many of you may be asking how did this happen? What caused the light-bulb to go off? My answer is simple-The people I began to surround myself with! My athletic coaches in high school and caring educators who won me over with their unconditional love. Lastly, a mother who was determined to have my brother and I look at life out of a new set of lens. A confluence of these factors caused me to change my life's paradigm. It was this team of people who subconsciously caused me to see college as a real world goal, even though education was not at the top of my communities priority list. I say subconsciously for they did not have a master plan, they simply cared enough to communicate a positive message regarding my potential--over and over again.

If you are a program like GEAR-UP, TRIO or just a person who cares about kids going to college, the key to success from my standpoint is helping students to switch expectations. I can guarantee you they have expectations; the question we must ourselves is: are they keeping them away from school or directing them down the path of academic success? To help your students make the connection, surround them with people in and out of your organization that can help them re-evaluate expectations. I say this not as speculation but from first hand experience. Many of the friends I grew up with who made the expectations shift, are now first generation college graduates just like me.

College can become a realistic expectation to the students you serve even though it may be challenging. Expectations will either help them succeed or force them into a life of unrealized potential. Let shoot for the former.

Finding Your Passion And Purpose For College Workshop And Speech!

One of the primary building blocks for first generation college student success is to help them identify the power of purpose and passion to college and career success. Join over 30 of your GEAR-UP and many more College Access Colleagues nationally who have booked Darrell "Coach D" Andrews to conduct this focused and high energy workshop for their cohorts. One student commented after the workshop, "I did not think I had a purpose for my life and this why I was making bad choices. I now want to go to college for I realize I do have a reason for my life." Students engage in a hands on team format that encourages them to connect their personal gifts and abilities to college, their current education and a sense of life significance. BOOK COACH D today for a winter or spring event at your location (s.) You students will thank you for years to come!

We can be reached at our office (302) 834-1040 or via e-mail info@coachdspeaks.com to discuss. Click on the link bellow to view a group of 6-7th graders, from a very challenged school district engage in the workshop. The school administration thought that they would not participate. 2 hours after the event I was still taking questions from a very excited group of kids.

Click Here To See Video!