What Wily Means to Me
My name is J’Saun, and I am a graduate of Boston College. I am also a proud alum of the Wily Network.
People usually assume that every student at a university has the same level of resources, but that is not true. For example, we may all have access to the same library space. But someone who owns their own laptop has a completely different amount of flexibility and time to do their work.
As a student, I could not solely focus on my education. There were too many factors outside of school that affected my ability to just be a student. Studying for a test could not be a priority for me, because my focus was on surviving the day. I had to work a full time job, on top of being a full time student and a student athlete. On a regular basis I watched my peers have the autonomy of deciding what they wanted to do with their schedule. They did not need to make the sacrifices I had to make because of the resources they had.
My hope is that whoever is reading this understands that when an individual steps foot on a college campus, everything else from that person’s life does not vanish. Any struggle, trauma, or debt an individual has follows them to school. And for people like myself, who lacked that support system before college, the resources on campus are not enough.
At the Wily Network, Scholars are paired with a coach who becomes your support system. They become someone who can specifically focus on your individual needs; someone who can even out the playing field and give you a fair chance at success. The Wily Network allowed me to have a go-to person who did not have a “9am – 5pm” time limit. It allowed me to finally have a support system.
It is extremely important to understand the perspective of a Wily Scholar. We are young adults asking for a fair chance to make our lives better. We are individuals who have had to focus on fighting for housing, family or finances, while others got to focus on being a kid. We are individuals who all have the goal to make a better life for ourselves, but do not have the means to do it on our own.
As a former Wily Scholar, I now sit in front of you as a first generation college graduate on his way to stability. I maintain a full time steady job, a roof over my head, and a clear mind to focus on what is next. Dreams are tangible goals, and I am on my way to reaching my dreams because of the support donors have put into the Wily Network. With your continued support, more young Wily Scholars, like myself, will be able to reach their dreams that may have always seemed like intangible goals.
