The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

YES Prep Southwest College Counselor Spends Summer in Africa

August 19, 2010 by Ayana Allen

Five years ago I began my PhD program in Urban Education at Texas A& M University. I breezed through my coursework,  but found myself struggling to write my dissertation as I often battled with the  typical symptoms of writer’s block,  coupled with my demanding, yet always rewarding, job as the Director of College Counseling at YES Prep Southwest.   My advisor and committee co-chair, Dr. Chance Lewis  frequently expressed his disappointment in my lack of focus. He knew that I had not yet tapped into my potential as a researcher and a scholar, and he often challenged me to push past my fears.  As much as I inspire and encourage my own students, it was very difficult for me to  inspire myself to write and graduate.

Out of nowhere, an amazing opportunity arose in January when my committee chairs, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Norvella Carter (Houston Endowed Chairs of Urban Education)  invited me to travel to South Africa with them and fellow PhD students to explore the educational systems and practices in urban settings of Southern Africa.   Our travels would include visits to South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana.  They  challenged me to work hard to finish my dissertation so that the trip to South Africa would be the culminating event and celebration of all of my hard work in the program.  With their urging and support,  I moved to College Station for the four weeks I had off from work this summer to devote ALL of my time to writing my dissertation and meeting with the two of them. I have never spent that much time in a library in my whole life! Practically all of the library employees came to know me by name! I was so thankful that Dr. Lewis and Dr. Carter pushed me to sacrifice this time because it truly paid off.  I finished my dissertation five days before we left for South Africa!

Our trip was  an amazing journey and a transformative/life changing experience.  I was able to present me dissertation research at the International Conference/Symposium on Research in Urban Education: Best Practices for Global Learning. I also had the opportunity to share with fellow educators and students the wonderful work that we are doing at YES Prep. One of my fondest memories of South Africa was when we visited Selelekela High School in Soweto.  All the way on the other side of the world, I saw in the eyes of the students at Selelekela the same passion and will to succeed that our students at YES exhibit. I also saw the faces of the future and realized that our work as educators can truly impact the world.

Never would I have imagined that I would have been afforded this opportunity to learn how to become a better educator on the continent of Africa! I am so grateful for this experience. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned is that things happen for a reason and at the appropriate time. I was always beating myself up about not finishing my dissertation and graduating in the 3 and 4 years that it took many of my classmates, but had I graduated back then, I would have missed out on one of the most exhilarating, profound experiences of my life.   Dr. Juanita Johnson-Bailey a world renowned scholar from The University of Georgia accompanied us on our trip. She told us a quote that beautifully sums up my experiences in Africa. “You are never the same until you see your stars from the other side of the world.” And all the way in South Africa,  the answer is still YES!

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