Woke, Wise, College Kids

There are no proven tips for coping in a pandemic.  We are all playing this thing by ear. In Episode 2, host and college success coach, Dr. Erin shares her best tips on how to cope and thrive during the pandemic. After the episode, don’t forget to rate and subscribe.  

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In this episode, the host, Dr. Erin, gives a sneak peek of the new season, catches the listeners up on what has happened since the last season, and shares her advice on persisting in difficult times. 

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This episode is dedicated to the National First-Generation College Celebration on Friday, November 8th. This day is to honor, acknowledge and support 1st-generation students across America.  1st generation students are the first to attend college in their family. Research on 1st-gen students shows that a lack of cultural capital contributes to the gap in college complete rates between 1st-generation and their other-generation peers. Dr. Erin, host and found or Be Preppy College Coaching, shares ways 1st-generation students can increase social, cultural and economic capital. 

 The time after getting your first college degree is a weird time that most all college grads experience.  It is filled with hard lessons, tough choices, and challenging personal reflection.  It’s confusing and frustrating. In this episode, our host, Dr. Erin Wheeler, chats with Bria Felicien about her post-grad experience and how she that time fueled her creativity. 

Bria Felicien is a creative producer, writer, and multimedia journalist. This Louisiana State University grad, produces podcasts for a local Atlanta newspaper and covers stories for an professional teams. She is the author of several fiction novels, including a post-grad series.  The first two installments of the series, More Than Enough and Care for Me is out now. 

Most college grads go through a period called post-grad blues.  Post-grad blues can be characterized by a period or periods(s) of depression, sadness, confusion, and frustration. It can come in waves and it can be temporary.  Although it is common among grads, it is not really talked about.  In this episode, our host, Dr. Erin, discusses her post-grad blues and gives advice for getting through them and maximizing your post-grad life. 

This podcast is sponsored by Be Preppy.  Be Preppy is a college coaching company that offers academic, success, and life coaching to college-bound students, undergraduate students, and graduate students.  Check us out at www.bepreppy.com.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @bepreppyllc.  

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Beyonce's Netflix documentary, Homecoming, was epic for so many reasons. One, she captured the journey to making history as the first African-American woman to headline Coachella.  Two, the documentary highlighted her first performance after giving birth to twins.  Three, the film showed how and why Beyonce showcased Historically Black Colleges and Universities in her comeback show.  The rest of the reasons just relate to her performance, period :) . Dr. Erin Wheeler, host of the podcast, would count her self as a fan of Beyonce, more so for her business savvy, cultural awareness, and work ethic. In this episode, Dr. Erin shares her reflections on Homecoming as lesson of success.  She shares five behaviors that Beyonce displayed that has led to her sustained success. She also explains how those same behaviors could be adopted by anyone to become successful in any situation, especially in college. 

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Many don’t realize that you don’t have to love math to pass it. You just have to understand that getting solid grades in math takes hours of practice. Not even that student who is considered a math wiz can get away with putting in the proper work.  But don’t take my word for it. 

Ask Eric Johnson, our guest for this episode.  He would definitely be labeled as a math wiz. Eric Johnson is a graduate from the University of California, Riverside with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics. His passion for helping others succeed in Math pushed him to start his own Math Tutoring company, Johnson’s Math Tutoring.  He provides online support for students in all types of math classes. 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Sexual assault in college is a serious issue.  

According to Campus Safety Magazine:

• Between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career (1)
• More than half of raped college women tell no one of their victimization (1)
• 80% of sexual assault and rape victims are under the age of 30 (1)
• 44% of sexual assault and rape victims are under the age of 18 (1)
• College freshmen and sophomore women appear to be at greater risk of being victims of sexual assault than are upperclassmen. 84% of the women who reported sexually coercive experiences experienced the incident during their first four semesters on campus. (4)

The numbers are alarming, but we must remember there is a real person behind a single statistic.  This episode features a glimpse inside the emotions, thoughts and actions of a sexual assault victim who is on the path to healing.  Maggy, Be Preppy's Latinx/Hispanic Outreach Intern, shares her experience to help empower victims of assault to find their voice and take control of their situation.  

This episode is dedicated to addressing sexual assault on college campuses.  When you think about college, you think about freedom, and dating, and parties.  However, there’s not enough discussion, especially with new students, the darker side of college life.  College has so many factors that make it a breeding ground for sexual violence and misconduct.  So much so, that the government has regulations that govern the reporting of claims, training of staff, and support of victims. The federal policy is called Title IX.  Every institution is required to have a basic policy. You should familiarize yourself with it, understand what constitutes misconduct or sexual violence know your where you can report sexual assault claims.  This information is found on your colleges website and in your student handbook. 

Our guest on this episode will explain Title IX and more. Dr. Penny Smith is the founder of Alegria Technologies and Consulting. She is  and author, higher education executive director and campus date rape survivor. She is a first generation college student – graduating from Fisk University summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Smith’s  has a 19 year executive career in government and higher education. 

After the episode be sure to check out bepreppy.com for more resources on sexual assault.  April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Check your campus calendar and participate in events to learn more.  

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Episode Resources

Dr. Penny Smith

 In this episode we focus on love! Why? Because Valentine's Day is near and that’s when love is on steroids.  Love can make you do crazy things, especially in college.  It can bring out the worst or bring out the best in you. It can have you all happy one minute or stressed out the next.  Some people come to college to find their one true love.  But who is your one true love?  Well, you don’t know our guest and chances are she doesn’t know you but she’s going to tell you who’s DM’s to slide in, who you should ask out, and who you should swipe right on.  She is Domonique Washington, author of Ever After Happily. She is a motivational speaker, teacher, and Pastor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  She has been so transparent in her journey to find love that she is the perfect person to talk about healthy relationships and finding your one true love.  After the episode, tell us what you think. Hit us up on Instagram or Twitter.  We’d love to hear from you!  Happy listening! 

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Domonique Washington

Website: www.pastordomonique.com

Instagram: @pastordomonique

Youtube: Domonique S. Washington

In this episode, we to speak to Dr. Walter Kimbrough. He's the author of  Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities.  He has long been a respected leader in Higher Education. In fact, he became a college president by the time he was 37.  His non-traditional entry into presidency, his ability to relate to students and his study of popular culture, has earned him the name of the Hip Hop Prez.  He is currently the president of Dillard University, a private, Historically Black University in New Orleans, Louisiana.  His research on HBCUs, fraternities and sororities, and African American males make him the perfect guest for our spotlight on African Americans in Higher Education.  I hope that this episode is a treat to you as it was to me.  Happy Listening! 

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Episode Resources

Dr. Walter Kimbrough

 1799 is the first record of an African American attending an American University or college.  By 1900 2000 African Americans had Higher Education degrees of which ONLY 390 received degrees from white institutions and there were 78 black colleges established by this time.  In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled to abolish racial segregation in schools. Currently, there are approximately 2.5 million African American students enrolled in higher education .  While this number is a far cry from the enrollment in 1900, there should be millions more of African American enrolling in higher education programs.  As we make-up only 15% of the total college population. While we don’t have the barriers that our ancestors had, minority students still face challenges in acceptance and assimilations on campus, in our community and in our home.  Although there are millions of African Americans in college, many students are 1st-generation students where being in college and graduating from college is rare or non-existent.  Being a minority and the 1st to go to college is a unique experience that is hard to describe.  But at the core of the issue is identity. While all students go to college to explore and discover who they are, minority students have more layers to peel before they get to understand, accept and love their authentic selves. 

In this episode we explore the topic of finding your identity as a minority student.  On this episode you’ll hear three voices and three perspectives: my own, an African American woman and college graduate, Co-host and Preppy’s Intern Maggy, a Latina woman and college graduate, and our guest, Cedric Dent, Jr.. an African American male college student.  We are all 1st-generation, low-income, minority students.  If you’ve been listening you know about Maggy and I.  Let me introduce you to our guest. 

Cedric Dent Jr is a proud senior at my alma mater Southeastern Louisiana University and is pursuing a degree in Social Work. Cedric was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana by a single mother. Cedric has been actively involved on campus as an Orientation leader, Peer Mentor, member of the NAACP, leader of the Student Government Association, and President of Kappa Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Cedric was recently crowned the 2018-2019 Homecoming King. Cedric is a Senior Social Work Major and is consistently on the Dean’s List. He has recently authored his first book, "Searching for Purpose and Understanding: Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life" 

This is one of our longer episodes but only because the conversation was really great we couldn’t bear to cut anything.  We would love to hear your feedback and your personal experiences in finding your identity.  Be sure to send us your thoughts on Twitter or Instagram @bepreppyllc.  Happy Listening! 

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Episode Resources

Cedric Dent, Jr.