TIP: "Dime con quién andas y te digo quién eres.”

As a child and pre-teen, I didn’t quite get it. I didn’t know what she meant. What I did know is she encouraged my friendships with those who talked about going to college or those who had parents who had gone to college. My mother was smart enough to know that if I surrounded myself with that kind of conversation, it would slowly, but surely, seep into the deep sub-conscious of my brain and I too would be wired to head to college. See. Easy. Right?

Even at the age of 17, I knew I still had so much more to learn, but I had a grand vision for myself. At USC I finally discovered “My People.” My mother had gotten me as far as she could and now I found a family who would carry me to the next step.  

TRUTH: 

College is about one thing: it is about surrounding yourself with the people you ASPIRE to become. College is THE place where your child will meet new people, make new friends, discover new ideas, and ultimately become not just an improvement of who s/he is today, but an aspirational version of themselves they haven’t even dreamed of yet. Or, maybe they already have a grand vision and are looking for that place, that family to get them there.