The story of On Point for College goes back to one person who wanted to help young people get to college. 20 years later the program reports helping more than 9000 get into college, with nearly 2500 graduating. At any one time On Point is supporting 3000 students enrolled invarious colleges. WAER’s Chris Bolt has the story of the organization through three of the people it helped.
On Point 20th Anniv Celebration: April 5th @ 6:00 pm, at The Oncenter
"It was just five of us. The support and the dedication that Ginny gave to us, particularly on the paperwork,” said Terrence Byrd El. I think that may be a lot might be a lot of people’s barriers, just the process (of applying to college).”
Terrence Byrd El is remembering the help he received from On Point founder Ginny Donahue. He recalls finding out about the group in a slightly unusual way, from a mentor.
“I was actually suspended from school when I found out about On Point. A mentor of mine came to house and he woke me up. I was like, ‘I can’t go to school. Whay are you waking me up?’ He said, ‘get dressed, you’re going to come with me somewhere. It’s a new program that’s helping kids get into college and they’re taking kids on a college trip today.”
And those were really the first elements of the program, help with paperwork for kids who don’t have parents who went to college; take them on college visits to make it real; and get them enrolled. Terrence was an orphan and thus, paperwork was even more complicated. Support and someone showing concern for students is what he thinks is the key.
“A lot of us are first generation college students so it’s a lot of apprehension and nervousness that comes with that, because you don’t know what to expect going off to college. The type of neighborhoods we come from, the high levels of trauma and high levels of being under-resourced and undercapitalized in our communities, a lot of the visions are more immediate and based on immediate needs and immediate outlook.”
Terrence now works for the Department of State in Consumer Affairs, having earned his doctorate in education from Saint John Fisher College. He draws parallels with the help he received along the way to the social justice philosophy he has now.
“I never looked at myself as a leader. I try to lead by example. Now being in positions of leadership, realizing what am I looking to contribute as a leader. But I appreciate the opportunity to be here and again, all of this started with just a single journey, with a single step into joining On Point.”
On Point for College celebrates its 20th anniversary with an event Friday, April 5th.
A lot of On Point’s work takes place now on campuses, helping students stay in and finish college. Abeer Alziadi was helping Knariana Hoyle navigate some of the nuances of classes, internships, and faculty.
“…by pushing them to talk to their professors or see their professors during office hours, just so they can know, sometimes student start failing and they feel discouraged. Us being up here and pushing them to seek more help or have that conversation, it really changes things.”
She’s up at Onondaga Community College two days a week checking in on as many as 200 students. And coincidently, Abeer is an On Point graduate herself. She sees some of the same challenges and fears that she faced in current students.
“To see students doubting themselves, I’m just like, ‘no, don’t doubt yourself.’ Cause I did not believe that I would ever be part of (Syracuse University.) I didn’t think that was possible. I was defeated just by the essay, as a senior; the essay drove me crazy. I don’t want students to have that fear. That fear didn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense now.”
She appreciates how college visits through On Point can open the eyes of students who might have never spent much time out of Syracuse.
“I think the tours are helpful because it gives them other options. And it shows them, ‘you’ll be fine if you go away. If that’s something you would like to try, even if you don’t complete two years, at least you can say, I tried.’”
Abeer was already helping students before she ever graduated and has now been a professional advisor with On Point for two years.
Kishma Alexander points out a different kind of support she got from On Point, since she didn’t have a lot of higher ed options in her country.
“Having grown up in the Caribbean, there’s really no major tertiary institution. So I went to high school and I always had the dream of going to college and getting a bachelor’s degree or even an associate’s. But of course for some students, you have the ability, you’re willing to work hard, but you don’t necessarily have the financial means to do it.”
Once the program helped her get into college, Kishma took it from there. After getting a bachelor’s degree at the University of Buffalo, she went on to get a Masters. She’s also paid it forward helping kids in Syracuse schools.
“I would say that I saw a lot of potential in the students I worked with. Some people kind of trivialize some of the steps it takes to go into college. But for first-generation college students like myself, our parents never went through it, so they don’t necessarily know how to navigate through the process.”
And that’s what it’s about, allowing the potential to get past the barriers. On Point’s ongoing support is helping Kishma take the next step into a job. To her, that makes the program more sustainable.
“They first will assist you to fill out your college application. They’ll take you on a tour. They will not just drop you off and say, ‘ok, well now do the rest on your own.’ They’ll come back and visit you, check up on you, then after you graduate you’re still not on your own. ‘I will assist you to find a job, with your resume, to job search.’ So it kinds of brings everything full-circle.”
Many might have heard the story of On Point founder Ginny Donahue running the program out of the trunk of her car, with volunteers taking students on college visits and driving them home for holidays. The 20th anniversary allows the organization to celebrate its growth, with offices now in Syracuse and Utica to continue the important work of opening up futures to local youth.
On Point’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is Friday April 5th … information on tickets and sponsorship is at: Onpointforcollege.org
