Kevin Loder
12/8/13
WR 122
JENSEN

Journey to Student Success

On an afternoon back in the spring of 2011, my best friend, Omar Ortiz, and I headed out for lunch. There was no question of where we were going: our neighborhood’s fruit trees. This is all we could afford; literally a free lunch.

This was one of many challenges in our own version of the Oregon Trail. We left our Portland nightlife friends for our quest to earn a college degree in Eugene. I had nearly dropped out of college, so it was a risk to “put all my eggs in one basket” for this. My attitude about college had been negative until this point; I abused it as a way to receive financial support from my family. However, after five years of that immature game, I finally accepted my own financial responsibilities. I used to think I was going to drop out of college, but I am now looking forward to graduate school.

Back in 2005 I graduated high school a year early. I thought I was getting ahead, ready to start my life. Due to lack of planning for after graduation, this turned into a “one step forward, two steps back” experience. During what would’ve been my senior year, I began community college classes and worked retail. That lasted until I got a truck, and drove up to Portland every weekend to socialize and party. Two terms later I moved there and enrolled in classes with my friend Etienne. Different college, same priorities. I was distracted by nightclubs and mall jobs. Another two terms later I transferred yet again to another community college. Etienne transferred as well, but down to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon. I had been in college for five years with no degree to show for it. Without his positive influence I nearly dropped out as I continued down a path of wrong priorities.

After Etienne moved is when I became friends with Omar. New to Portland, he just wanted to party too. The culture of the ‘club kid’ scene we were obsessed with was dragging us in; we were living just for the weekends. We desired money, success, fame, and glamour. By the time Omar was ready to start his college education, we recognized our circle of influence was leading us towards the type of tragedies in the movie Party Monster.To do well in school we were willing to move out of town. We saw how well Etienne was doing at the UO, and hastily moved.

My father did not believe my reason for moving to Eugene was to get serious about school. Skeptical that I was going to continue to waste it, he stopped paying for my education. It became urgent that I change my priorities. I sold my truck to afford to live in the wait to receive student loans for my classes at Lane Community College. I was ready to change my student perspective, and Lane was the place to transform my life through learning.

In determination to become a successful student, my first classes at Lane were in the College and Career Success Learning Community. Before any other classes, I needed to learn to respond rather than react to life; to adopt a creator mindset over a victim mentality. I stopped procrastinating on responsibilities by improving my response ability. The term interdependence was new to me. In the right place at the right time I began networking. I volunteered in the community, got a job, and accepted an internship from an Executive Dean for the college’s student housing project. My first term at Lane was the turning point, an experience in which I sparked the beginning of a bright future.

I wanted to help students change their negative assumptions. I returned to the Learning Community as a peer mentor, sharing the story of my transformed student perspective. I experienced something more rewarding from a job than the paycheck: helping others achieve their dreams. Lane took me to a national conference about student success. There I met a national honors society, which I have started a chapter for at Lane to support a student culture of degree completion.

Although the rewards of my new state of mind help me from reverting back to old beliefs, this has been particularly challenging my last year at Lane. Etienne moved back to Portland, and Omar moved to New York. When they left, I found myself without best friends, and began to miss the years in which they were my main priority. It took me awhile to recognize that the pendulum in my life had done a full swing from Saturday night parties to becoming a scholar. I have been using what I learned about emotional intelligence to create a balanced lifestyle. When I hear other people’s doubts in themselves to achieve something, I reflect on my story.

With my changed perspectives I’m planning for my future. Helen Garret, the Executive Dean I had the internship with, recently told me, “Your transformation at Lane has been amazing to witness.” I too am amazed that it was my change in perspective that took me from nearly dropping out of college to now planning for graduate school. Before Lane I wasn’t going anywhere in life. Here I am today, ready for where my education will take me next: the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil!