Faculty Feature

By Jon Devereueawax

“You are not college material.” That is what my high school counselor told me as I was weighing my options for what I was going to do after graduation. Granted, my cumulative GPA was not the highest. My attendance was good, but I always had to leave my last class early. She took one look at what the data showed her and made a proclamation about what I was capable of in her eye, and unfortunately, I took her assumption as my own. 

As an economist, I do not fully fault her. After all, we are taught to make informed decisions based on what the data shows us. However, I do hold her accountable for not gathering all the data which could have helped her to get a holistic view of who I was as an individual. Too often, we look at what is and fail to ask the simple question, why?

If she were to ask me why my grades were low, I would have informed her that I was doing well on my exams, but my lack of doing homework was bringing my grades down. I’d let her know that I was currently working and would leave school early to make it to work on time, most nights working an 8-hour shift. If she were to ask if I thought I could complete college, I would have told her without hesitation that I was confident that I could do so. I never doubted my academic ability until that moment.

Sitting in that office, I felt myself to start shift away from the idea of college, which had always been my goal, and becoming content with the decision to just keep working.

Luckily, three years after graduating and being in the workforce, the desire to continue my education didn’t fade completely. 

After a string of events, I was finally enrolled at my local community college, Rock Valley Community College in Rockford, IL. Three degrees later (a baccalaureate degree in economics, a master’s degree in economics, and a doctorate in educational leadership) I can say emphatically that my high school counselor was wrong. I was college material.

I like to share my story because oftentimes people place assumptions or limitations on us based on their own beliefs, whether right or wrong. 

Despite that, it is up to us whether we choose to accept or reject the assumption. I challenge you to take ownership of your destiny and chase the things that are important to you. For me, it was graduating college, and that did not come easily. Usually, the things we want the most require the most from us. For me, it was long nights in the library, studying endlessly, prioritizing my education, and most importantly, changing my mindset to really see my potential and not settle for anything less. Your goals may be completely unrelated to mine. However, the fact remains that If I can do it, so can you. That is, if you are willing to put in the work.