If you’ve never understood the plight of young people in urban and inner-city areas, you should research the life of Cedric Jennings. He is a young man that lived a hard life in Washington, D.C. He went to a high school riddled with crime, yet he was an honor student struggling to get out of his current situation. He continued his studies and dreamed of a brighter future. This is a common problem with the youth in urban areas. They are afraid to shine and show their talents because they are afraid that they will be targets of malicious treatment. Many students who don’t seem to fit in because they get good grades, or show interest in school are often mercilessly bullied. Measures need to be taken to safe guard our students so that they can achieve greatness no matter where they go to school.
Cedric was able to realize his greatness by attending MIT for two years then being accepted to an Ivy League school in 1997; Brown University. This is a great achievement even for students that haven’t had so many difficulties. Yet for CJ, he found himself behind even the freshmen there. Since he never felt that he fit in at high school, he hoped that he would in college. Yet he faced a lot of social challenges because he didn’t quite understand the privileged white students or the middle-classed black students. It is sometimes very difficult for students who are poor to connect with students at prestigious schools. Even when they are all at the same level, the poorer students are often at the school on scholarship, financial aid, or work study programs. They may feel inferior or unable to relate to the lives of others.
However, CJ never let that stop him. He was determined to keep his dream alive even in the face of adversity; he graduated Brown in 1999 with a degree in education and applied mathematics. He took on various jobs until he was laid off by the struggling economy. Cedric, seeking to further his education, applied and was accepted to Harvard in their graduate program in education. He obtained a Masters in Education in 2002 with high grades, but that didn’t stop CJ. He entered the University of Michigan to receive a Masters of Social Work Degree .
The struggles and triumphs of Cedric Jennings is an inspiration to all those who feel that they can’t make it. His story has been on national public radio in discussions of the book “A Hope in the Unseen” . In many US high schools his journey is part of classroom discussions and a source of inspiration to other students.
It is hard if you’ve been belittled your whole life to think you can get a degree as a social worker because you can be afraid that your own issues will leak into your therapy. I know from having had a tough childhood that I am not sure if I could really be of use to anyone because so much of my stuff would come up hearing kids talk about their own family situations and school problems. I’d like to get a BSW but am not sure what it would be like to be a counselor.
Comment by Perry — April 30, 2010 @ 10:54 am
If he can do what he did, why is it that we give up so easily? Most of us don’t have that degree of rough life but we can’t keep going all the time.
Comment by Libby — May 29, 2010 @ 2:07 am
We studied him in school. I am going to get my doctorate in social work partly due to his inspiration. I want to convey to others that they can reach their highest goals and think that teaching and research to MSW and BSW students will help me to do this.
Comment by Larissa — June 23, 2010 @ 12:42 am
Perry- That’s the beauty of referrals–if you come across a client who you think will cause you to bring your own issues into therapy, you can simply refer them to another counselor. It’s not being a bad counselor. In fact, having self-awareness like you do is what makes a strong counselor. Also, you might surprise yourself with how much you can actually put aside your own past to help others with similar situations that you grew up with. So i say go for it!
Comment by Natalie — August 6, 2010 @ 6:38 pm