Lillian O'Donnell Helps Students Realize Their College Dreams

October 31, 2008, America.gov - By Jeffrey Thomas

Lillian O'Donnell works in Massachusetts at East Boston High School and Bunker Hill Community College as an adviser for The National College Advising Corps (NCAC), an initiative aimed at increasing the number of students from low-income families who get a higher education. NCAC places recent college graduates in schools and community colleges as advisers. (See "New Graduates Show Students Path to Higher Education.") O'Donnell told America.gov about her experiences guiding low-income students to higher education.

Question: Can you tell me a little bit about what counseling high school [secondary school] students is like?

O'Donnell: It's surprising, exciting, frustrating, eye-opening.  Each student is so different, but there are lots of similar concerns that come up.  Some students are tentative, some headstrong and gung-ho.  You have to meet them where they're at and figure out the best way to reach them.  Sometimes it's like figuring out a puzzle, and once you figure out where the piece goes, everything else falls into place.  With other students, their emotions about the process are constantly changing, and a single setback can change everything.  I have learned to be more adaptable and intuitive.

I've learned a lot from my students about what it's like to grow up in a diverse and urban area, because I grew up in a rural town very different from East Boston.  Many students here are immigrants, or children of immigrants, from Central and South America or the Horn of Africa. The maturity of my students startles me, because some have been forced to grow up so quickly, to take up responsibilities and deal with hardships most American children do not have, while still being a young adult.  That definitely puts my own childhood and experience into a new context and gives me such respect for them.

Question: Any surprises?

O'Donnell: The best surprise I've encountered is the level of understanding about going to college.  I expected the high school students to be nervous and excited for college, but I was happy to discover students with a greater understanding of why it was important for them to get a college education.  They understand the value of college, although most do not have parents who went.  Going to college will create better job opportunities that yield higher salaries, which, in turn, will allow them to live more comfortable lives.

Question: What do you see as the most important considerations for your advisees?

O'Donnell: Making sure that each advisee understands his or her options. ...

It's also important that my advisees understand that it is within their reach to accomplish their goals.  If they are not financially or academically ready to attend a four-year institution, they can work to get there from a two-year institution.  In America, it is possible to start out at a community college and transfer to some of the most academically challenging universities in the country.  You can work to achieve what you want for yourself, and the best way to do that is with a strong education.  I understand what my education did for me and the trajectory of my life.   When a student is the first in his family to achieve a college degree, it can create a ripple effect that inspires his siblings, his friends, and eventually his children to go on to college and to create greater opportunities in their lives.  You begin to understand the importance of a college education in breaking the cycle of poverty, and it is truly an inspiring and beautiful thing.

Question: Why did you join NCAC?

O'Donnell: The National College Advising Corps combined my interests of education, social justice, and youth.  I had gone to high school with many students who did not go on to college, not because they weren't capable or motivated, but because the application process had left them by the wayside.  I believe that all students should have access to a college education if that's what they would like for themselves.  Sometimes it's just a matter of needing an encouraging figure to usher them through the process, besides what their guidance counselors may have time for.  The school I work at is very urban, with around 1,600 students and only five guidance counselors.  Often first-generation and low-income students do not receive the same supports that students from more affluent neighborhoods do, despite the fact that they need more support to get to college.

Question: What kind of counseling did you get as a teen? Whose advice was most important?

O'Donnell: I was lucky enough to have parents who helped me through the process.  I didn't know much about what to look for in a college or university; I just knew that I wanted to go on to college.  My grandmother, an Irish immigrant, only had a primary school education, but she would always say the most important thing someone could get was an education.  She and my grandfather made sure my father and all his siblings received a quality education that would open many doors for them.  I was always moved by those sentiments and knew from a young age that it was something I would achieve.  In my teenage years it was my mother who directed my college search, but ultimately it was my decision where I would go to school, which I think is really important.  A young person needs to make discoveries on her own, unlock what she wants in her education, and rule out what wouldn't work for her personally.