Reflecting Back/Jasmine Winston

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Farewell

I am proud to be part of the graduating class of 2022 from Robert M. La Follette High School. I am writing this article as a farewell to the Madison Metropolitan School District and school partners. As I reflect on my high school journey that molded me into the person I am becoming, I want to share some key experiences that were central to my personal and academic development. I hope that my sharing encourages and inspires someone that was like me when I first entered high school to maximize the opportunities available to them.

My high school experience started like the majority of those entering this new phase of life. I was an awkward, tall, Black girl with no sense of how to navigate a social space as diverse as La Follette High School. I started with the basics of getting involved in sports — cross country running and softball — to keep me disciplined. New high school students, I encourage you to participate in sports both for the discipline and physical exercise benefits and for the experience of working in teams.

I knew little about who I was as a Black woman in America, so I joined the Black Student Union (BSU). After listening to the discussions in BSU meetings for a while, I eventually felt comfortable enough to contribute to them.  I was also inspired to do my own research on topics related to the Black community. I spent hours watching documentaries, reading articles, and independently researching historical and current events affecting the Black community. I became and still am very passionate about topics like colorism, systems in America that came out of racist ideologies intended to harm the Black people, and racism in our schools and society.

When I started to identify problems and come up with solutions to challenges occurring in Madison, especially in public schools, I recognized that my voice can contribute to awareness, equity, and unity locally where I live and learn. BSU catalyzed the development of a huge part of my character today and fueled my passion to take on racial justice issues. As I started to engage more in BSU, I was appointed to the Leadership Team as secretary in 2020-2021.

Following so many challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic caused, we made strong efforts to address a lot of the racial disparities in schools that the pandemic caused or worsened. For instance, the La Follette BSU leadership teamed up with the Asian Club to create our “Stop Asian Hate!” project that provided resources and information to students about the rise of xenophobic hate crimes.

Additionally, Dr. Kweku Smith, a UW-Madison psychologist, nominated a select few of La Follette’s student leaders to be panel speakers in a Courageous Conversations online workshop in the early Spring 2021 semester. I was honored to be one of those chosen student leaders speaking about the needs of Black students at La Follette. Despite a pattern of absences in Zoom calls during the pandemic, almost 300 staff and student participants were on the video conference call. We received hundreds of comments from staff in the Zoom chat thanking us for educating them and sharing our stories. This school year, Andrew West and I were appointed BSU Co-Presidents. Despite the struggles of engagement, we were able to host multiple guest speakers of color, participate in community-building activities, and were even fortunate enough to attend a Milwaukee Bucks game with other BSUs from surrounding schools highlighting historically Black colleges and universities. New high school students, I encourage you to get involved in student organizations that address the cultural diversity needs of their school.

I have also been involved in community and extra-curricular learning opportunities. I am a part of local Jack and Jill of America Inc. South Central Wisconsin Chapter. As an active member of the teen group, I have held several leadership positions, including serving as the current President of the teen group. I have been fortunate to participate in the 100 Black Men of Madison, Inc. high school scholars programming. They arranged for me to have several summer internships in my area of interest, sustainability, which gave me direct experience with environmental issues and policies to address them. Throughout my high school years, I participated in workshops like Project Soapbox, STEM camps/activities, and pre-college programs doing research. Little did I know that these learning opportunities helped me to build a strong resume that made me stand out for college applications. New high school students, I encourage you to find at least one learning activity outside of school during each year of high school.

Even though it might seem like I went through my senior year with ease, I definitely faced a couple of struggles. The biggest struggle I had this year was the ACT college entrance exam. My top college choice has been Florida A&M University as I fell in love with their School of the Environment. FAMU still requires the ACT exam for admission. My first ACT scores in 2021 did not meet FAMU’s qualifying ACT score. I knew I had a lot of work to do. Getting motivated was a big struggle for me coming out of quarantine and remote learning in 11th grade. Through the fall semester, I studied a few times, but I soon realized “a few times” was not going to cut it. To see progress, I had to live, eat, and breathe the ACT. It was not until December when the two-month countdown until the last ACT exam was offered in time for me to gain early spring admission that I truly put in the work it takes to succeed. I enrolled in an ACT online course, an ACT Zoom class for one-on-one help, and spent no less than two hours a day reading a 1,120-page ACT book for about two months.

Additionally, Assistant Principal Ms. Pf’anique Hill at La Follette High School opened up her office as a quiet place for me to do my ACT prep work during study hall. She even helped me review ACT flashcards to ensure that I learned the material. Without her motivation and support, I probably would have given up. I prayed that my studying would pay off. On March 17th, I received an email that I had been accepted into Florida A&M University! I spent the next two weeks celebrating with supporting staff. It was through my hard work, perseverance, and support from others that I was able to accomplish getting into FAMU. New high school students, I encourage you to build a relationship with at least one trusted adult at your school who will support and challenge you.

As a student leader, I offer some final reflections to students and educators. To the students, focus on your education. Yes, earning good grades should be a reflection of your deep learning of class material. Good grades are also an investment for your future. Earning higher grades qualifies you for many opportunities such as scholarships, internships, and leads to higher-paying career jobs. It is these out-of-classroom opportunities that will allow you to develop the skills needed to advance in life after high school. Most importantly, do not give up, from overcoming situations as little as a math test to situations as big as a college application. If nobody else believes in you, you have to believe in yourself.

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To the teachers, thank you for showing up and being present even though every day is not easy. I want to especially thank the teachers who have stayed in their positions despite the constant turnover of teachers each year. Even though you are stretched thin, I would still strongly encourage you to make time to check in on your students. Thank you to the teachers like Mr. Graham at La Follette, who says good morning and never lets a student walk past them unacknowledged. A special thanks to Mr. Mike in the front office who always greets students as they walk into school daily. I do not think he will ever know how much those five-second greetings and a smile have meant to me.

A special thanks to my #1 support at La Follette High School, Mr. Johnnie Milton, who has guided me through all four years of high school. He is a reliable and trustworthy adult for so many students. Even though he talks about retirement in a few years, I hope he stays longer as I know there is going to be another awkward and shy Black girl who will need support and guidance to tap their full potential.

I end this article with a quote from Abraham Lincoln that I love: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” I entered high school with a lot of self-doubts, but very big dreams. I recognized the work I would have to put into my education to achieve it, and four years later, I was able to not only achieve but to also excel. I even earned my first 4.0 GPA in the last semester of my junior year, which I never thought I’d be able to do when I had a 2.8. GPA. After developing skills, perseverance, and a scholar mindset in high school, I was able to excel, and now I will carry these attributes through college and life. Go, Lancers! Ls Up!

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