- M
“The Final Stretch”
Oprah Winfrey once said “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for” and in my case, this holds very true. Today, I humble myself to ask for your help as I finish my journey as a Man of Morehouse.
Hello Morehouse Family and Friends,
My name is Dominick Jackson and I am a Senior Marketing Major at Morehouse College. We met last year in my junior year as you helped me make it to the final stretch. I’m not your average senior I am a Non- traditional student. This means I am a little older than most and I work to pay for school with no help externally. I originally started off attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY but due to my mom falling ill, I had to put school on the back burner for a few years to take care of her. I'm sure you hear the same stories about coming from a bad home and a bad environment. But I would have to be honest and say that my mom was an amazing mom but life just got the best of her.
One day, as I was working my every day, overworked, retail job I said to myself “Dominick it's time to go back to school; what are you waiting for?" So I applied and applied and I got into the school of my dreams, but two semesters in I had begun to feel ill. In the spring of 2015, my world was completely turned upside down. One day in the beginning of the semester, I had stepped out of bed and was unable to walk. I traveled from hospital to hospital in search of a diagnosis for my condition. This obstacle forced me to have to reevaluate my situation and adjust for what was next.
The condition lasted for about 7 months causing me to have to medically withdraw from school. I was left with an eternal feeling of disparity. I had lost time from school, relocated back to my home in Washington D.C., lost my apartment, lost my job, and I had to grasp the idea that graduation for me was even further away from me than before. During this time away it allowed me to regroup and create a plan for myself to get back in the game. I was determined to return back to school in a healthy state i.e. Mentally, Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually. I had mapped out my plan and put the necessary pieces in motion.
The reality for most students at Morehouse is that once students leave they never return. "Look to your left, look to your right” With that statement resting in the back of my head, I knew that I would not allow myself to be an example of that. Upon my return to school, I was notified from the registrar that because I had withdrawn that following semester I had lost my scholarship. This caused me to move from semester to semester uncertain of how my finances would be covered moving forward.
On campus, there is this fear of the Purge. The Purge refers to the day that student account drops all of your classes due to financial holds. Picture this, you are in a class full of students one day and then all of a sudden the faces have changed with you included. Now I have made it to my final year and have to keep pushing toward my goal. Although I receive some financial assistance the total reward amount just is not enough to cover my balance. Over the summer, I worked as a Marketing Communications intern with an amazing company in Atlanta, Ga. Although I would have loved to enjoy the money that I earned from my internship, there was a better investment to apply that money to. I used $3400 which was the total amount earned to make a payment to my school.
This year even with working a full-time job the funds from that are necessary for my room and board. This struggle of having to choose what is more important school or work is a constant stressor that I face. However, in my senior year, I feel confident that it is almost over. I would have to say that I have tried everything from loans, scholarships, to even trying to apply for bank student loan with co-signers with bad credit. So why not see if I can ask for a little support from honest people that have possibly been in my position. Now I know that we all struggle and that’s a part of life. But it would mean everything to me to have your support. In a way, I would like you to pay in forward. In the times that we are living in, we have to support each other, build each other up and show a little love to each other. I hope that you will read and listen to my testimony.
I thank you, I love you and I wish you well
Oprah Winfrey once said “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for” and in my case, this holds very true. Today, I humble myself to ask for your help as I finish my journey as a Man of Morehouse.
Hello Morehouse Family and Friends,
My name is Dominick Jackson and I am a Senior Marketing Major at Morehouse College. We met last year in my junior year as you helped me make it to the final stretch. I’m not your average senior I am a Non- traditional student. This means I am a little older than most and I work to pay for school with no help externally. I originally started off attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY but due to my mom falling ill, I had to put school on the back burner for a few years to take care of her. I'm sure you hear the same stories about coming from a bad home and a bad environment. But I would have to be honest and say that my mom was an amazing mom but life just got the best of her.
One day, as I was working my every day, overworked, retail job I said to myself “Dominick it's time to go back to school; what are you waiting for?" So I applied and applied and I got into the school of my dreams, but two semesters in I had begun to feel ill. In the spring of 2015, my world was completely turned upside down. One day in the beginning of the semester, I had stepped out of bed and was unable to walk. I traveled from hospital to hospital in search of a diagnosis for my condition. This obstacle forced me to have to reevaluate my situation and adjust for what was next.
The condition lasted for about 7 months causing me to have to medically withdraw from school. I was left with an eternal feeling of disparity. I had lost time from school, relocated back to my home in Washington D.C., lost my apartment, lost my job, and I had to grasp the idea that graduation for me was even further away from me than before. During this time away it allowed me to regroup and create a plan for myself to get back in the game. I was determined to return back to school in a healthy state i.e. Mentally, Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually. I had mapped out my plan and put the necessary pieces in motion.
The reality for most students at Morehouse is that once students leave they never return. "Look to your left, look to your right” With that statement resting in the back of my head, I knew that I would not allow myself to be an example of that. Upon my return to school, I was notified from the registrar that because I had withdrawn that following semester I had lost my scholarship. This caused me to move from semester to semester uncertain of how my finances would be covered moving forward.
On campus, there is this fear of the Purge. The Purge refers to the day that student account drops all of your classes due to financial holds. Picture this, you are in a class full of students one day and then all of a sudden the faces have changed with you included. Now I have made it to my final year and have to keep pushing toward my goal. Although I receive some financial assistance the total reward amount just is not enough to cover my balance. Over the summer, I worked as a Marketing Communications intern with an amazing company in Atlanta, Ga. Although I would have loved to enjoy the money that I earned from my internship, there was a better investment to apply that money to. I used $3400 which was the total amount earned to make a payment to my school.
This year even with working a full-time job the funds from that are necessary for my room and board. This struggle of having to choose what is more important school or work is a constant stressor that I face. However, in my senior year, I feel confident that it is almost over. I would have to say that I have tried everything from loans, scholarships, to even trying to apply for bank student loan with co-signers with bad credit. So why not see if I can ask for a little support from honest people that have possibly been in my position. Now I know that we all struggle and that’s a part of life. But it would mean everything to me to have your support. In a way, I would like you to pay in forward. In the times that we are living in, we have to support each other, build each other up and show a little love to each other. I hope that you will read and listen to my testimony.
I thank you, I love you and I wish you well