Student Interview #3

     The third student I interviewed is a traditional age African American female.  She is adopted and her adopted father recently retired from the Air force  She is interested in the medical field and was unable to get admitted into the Air Force due to a birth defect.  She is currently enrolled in the nursing assistant's program at Owens.  She said it was not an option not to pursue higher education in her family.  She chose Owens because it was small and less intimidating.  She praised the faculty for being very supportive.  She said that the more she strives to do well and improve and get involved on campus, the more she has found that people are willing to help.  She recently became a peer educator where she assists with New Student Orientation.  She said she was not aware of the many resources available to her as a student at Owens when she started her program and makes it a point to reach out to other students that she has never met before.  She likes the fact that her classes at Owens include students from diverse backgrounds because it makes her feel more comfortable and less intimidated.  She said she tries not to pay too much attention to stereotypes people have of African American students.  She finds humor in surprising people when she is not the way they perceived her to be.  She holds a leadership position in the Black Student Union at Owens and said that the group is struggling to maintain student membership.  She said she would likely not have participated in a group like this if it was not for a friend of hers who was part of the group and encouraged her to attend a meeting.  She said that she gets frustrated when student activities related to African American students do not get advertised on student account home pages like other campus events.  She further explained that this type of thing sends a message that African Americans are not important.  She wants other African American students at Owens to get involved and to understand that there is help available when they need it.  She feels that Owens really is focused on the success of its students.