Christian College Experience

648 Words2 Pages

I was born in Bronxville, New York, and my family relocated to Ooltewah, Tennessee when I was six years of age because they wanted all of their children to attend an excellent religious school. The nearby school system offered a Christian education and spanned from preschool to college. The school and community offered a rich variety of after school activities to keep us occupied and engaged. My grandparents were immigrants and they migrated to America for higher incomes and a richier education for their family, without a college diploma, but they were industrious and hard working and paved the path to my parents success. Church and school attendance was imperative for my parents and they instilled the same values in us. My parents, both …show more content…

I was not invited to the house parties, the after church lunches or invited to the school banquets. When I started my freshman year therr were three teachers of color but that dwindled to one my senior year. My family had a close knit of friends who were also people of color. I gradually realized that as people of color, we were tolerated, but not embraced or included. No one was mean spirited, but the relationships were superficial. So, when it was time to choose a college, I knew it would be a Christian college and it would not be the local Christian college, which was a reflection of the school system I was a part of. When I visited the historically black college and university, Oakwood University, in Alabama I knew I was going to attend there. My parents and I visited the University on President's Day. We were impressed with the classrooms, the renovated dorms, the partnership with other universities, the health initiatives, the success of its students and the resources available. Everyone was professional and courteous and they looked like me. I felt I would be nurtured, embraced and challenged. The student guide stated that, "I would have friends for life at this school." I would encounter them at weddings, baby showers, church events, and graduations. I was

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