Nate Green entered CPE’s program in 2012. Now going into his senior of college at Morehouse College, he shares his journey getting to and through college as a low-income, first-generation student.
What was it like growing up low-income in a first-generation to college family?
I grew up in Southeast, DC, where I saw a lot of violence and worrying about where the next meal would come from. Although my mom tried to hide the struggle from me, I still witnessed it and felt the impact. Sometimes I would be bullied for wearing the same shoes or clothes because my mom could not afford to continue to buy new clothes if my sisters and I wanted to eat. My mom never attended college and my sisters didn’t either because they were tasked with taking care of me. I couldn’t read or do math up until 5th grade. It wasn’t until I entered KIPP DC during my 8th grade year that I found out about CPE. It was important to tap into a resource that understood the connection between being first in your family to potentially go to college and actually getting there.
Having the opportunity to be a CPE student is like being part of a community. The experience has taught me valuable things I’ve been able to take back home and share with my family such as going over the FASFA application with my mom who didn’t know how to fill one out.
How would you describe the transition of going from your freshman year of college to now your senior year?
College life has taught me there are three types of students: those who stay the same, those who are upward trending, and those who trend downward. An experience I went through in my first semester of college made me realize I wanted to take ownership of the type of student I wanted to be.
What most people may or may not realize is that college is hard. You face challenges whether it’s academic, social, related to identity, or financial. In my first semester, I finished with a 1.9 GPA. Some family and friends suggested I take a semester off and hinted at the idea that college may not be for me. My CPE mentor helped me devise a plan that kept me in school and focused on making it to the finish line which I’m proud to say is coming up next year!
To sum up the first day of my freshman year of college in one word, I felt confused. Now going into the first day of my senior year, I feel humble. There is no other place in the world where there are over 2,000 black men who are all working toward a common goal together – to build minds of excellence and service.
What has kept you encouraged throughout your college experience as what you consider an upward trending student?
It’s the CPE care packages, the check ins I still have with my mentor and my program coordinator, and reconnecting with people I went through the program with that has helped make the difference. When I reflect back on what has contributed to my success, I realize it’s been the little things that has helped get me through. I could have chosen to accept that I was a downward trending student but I believe your thoughts ultimately become your actions and so I had to change my mindset which has resulted in me attaining a 3.15 GPA which is higher than the 1.9 I had freshmen year.
When is graduation and what will you be doing afterward?
At 8am on May 17, 2020, I’ll walk across the stage of Morehouse College and accept my bachelor’s degree in political science. It’s a moment I am most looking forward to and one I can’t wait to share with friends and family. After graduation, I’ll be taking on a fellowship with KIPP DC to attain a Master’s in Teaching and then a Master’s in Education in the last two years of the program.