Beyond What You See-Episode 19-Steven Robertson

In this episode of Beyond What You See, host Emir Çakaroz sits down with Steven Robertson to talk about what college readiness really means for first-generation and low-income students. From the hidden challenges of the college transition to the power of pre-college programs and community, this conversation goes beyond grades and test scores—focusing on confidence, mindset, and belonging. A must-listen for high school seniors, educators, and anyone supporting students on their path to college.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:03

Welcome back to Beyond What You See. And today we're we're gonna dive into the conversation about preparing for college before you ever step a foot on a campus. Today I'm Steve Robertson, and I'm I'm with Mr. Emir. And Mr. Emir is gonna facilitate this conversation. Go ahead, Mr. Emir.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Hello, Mr. Roberson. First of all, thank you for this opportunity. And then let's start uh with the first question. So before the titles unrolls, what first drew you to working with first generation and low-income students?

SPEAKER_02 0:45

What drew me, I I think it's bigger. I think it's a call. And I think that many times people are divinely orchestrated to help the people that they once were. So I grew up in Milwaukee, um, Wisconsin. Um, matter of fact, down the street from a major campus, Marquette University, and um coming from a low-income first-generation family that was resource challenged. Um and I came, uh I came upon the Upper Bound program at Marquette University, and the program opened my eyes to some steps to go to college, and I'll be forever grateful.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Thank you. And what part of your uh own journey helps you most when connecting with students who are preparing for college?

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Well, one is I think many first generation students, because they don't see uh may many of them may not see a lot of role models in front of them. Some of them are challenged to see themselves in on campus. So I think one of the huge first steps is actually being able to see and visualize the fact that you can be on that campus, to believe that you can, you know, and you have the potential to, and to begin to see that that belief system, that thought, that thinking big can actually become a reality with hard work and steps. So I think it's important. But for me, um seeing getting on Marquette's campus, taking classes, having people believe in me, seeing things in me that I didn't see in myself, saying and calling out things inside of me that I didn't realize that I um the greatness that was inside me, people that borrowed their belief in me and that I could do this thing. And it was possible. So when I the possibility, I think you started to think and see yourself greater because you start to realize that, hey, maybe I can do this. You know, maybe I can be this, maybe I can tap this. And I think there's a I think there's something that says, now to him that's able to keep you from falling. But it also talks about um thinking big, right? And him being able to help us um to think even bigger, uh, uh exceedingly abundantly above all that we're able to ask or think according to the power that worked in us. Sometimes I think it's a power that worked in us. There's great potential in us, and I think sometimes we've got to realize and be able to tap the potential inside of us. But sometimes we don't know there was a potential inside of us. Sometimes we we haven't seen other people that that rose to the occasion and was pioneers and trailblazers and did something different that went beyond just what they normally saw, and was that unique difference maker, but in that game changer. But I'm here to say that sometimes when we start to see ourselves at opportunities and we start to challenge and we start to realize there's great potential inside of us, and people borrow us, their belief in us, I think that that's great and that's huge, and there's a whole bunch of power and potential on the inside of us that we can tap. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

And what makes uh pre-college programs like EOP especially critical for first-generation students?

SPEAKER_02 4:27

I think um more so than ever, programs like um Marquette University pre-college programs, trio programs, other programs that's out there that's really working with first-generation income eligible students, I think it's huge. I think it's huge because it shows, it it shows, it helps to show the way. It helps to call out the greatness that's inside people. Back when I was going through Upper Bound and Marquette, the um one of the mottos of the program would be, you know, we're a diamond in the rough, but you're a diamond showed enough. And I think that was trying to deal with the process, that romance and the stone process. That process that may have started with uh a piece of coal that may have been common, you know, um, but then over time, um bringing out that potential on the inside with uh pressure, with um knocking off rough edges, with just time, you know, and helping to get to uh a valuable, uh valuable something that was common to something that was very valuable, prepared people. And I think it's so important for programs and people and mentors and community organizations and let caring, loving adults to help to bring out the potential that's on the inside of individuals that will realize that how do we help them to become prepared people? And you know, so I think that's huge. And I think that process, I think pressure and being uh and cutting out rough edges and sharpening um edges and and time in itself can really help to develop the great potential that's inside of each person.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Okay. So if you could sit down with uh every first generation uh low-income high school senior right now, what would you tell them not to worry about?

SPEAKER_01 6:36

What would I tell them not to worry about? That's such a great question.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

Um, I guess I would say is that you got this, that you were prepared for this, that there's greatness inside you, that if you mess up, you make up, but don't give up. Take one step after another. Find find your people, find your place, and find yourself. I would tell them to be yourself, be one of a kind, unique one of a kind. Don't you don't have to be like nobody else. You know, you've been put on this earth, you got unique DNA, you got a unique thumbprint and fingerprints. You're there's a unique plan and purpose for your life. Yes, take it day by day. But yeah, put the pressure back on God. You know, if if if there's a plan for your life, and if God got a plan for your life, then it's his job to help you get there. It's your job just to help to follow him. I I heard a lady, her name was Patsy Caminetti, and I I love her, she said it back in uh a long time ago, but I I heard this word and I kept it close to my heart. She said, you need to have more confidence in God's ability to lead you than in your ability to follow him. When you get to the end of your course, it's not gonna be because you're such a good follower, but because God's such a good leader. So what I want what I would tell them is, hey, God wants you to be successful, one of a unique, one of a kind. He made you that way. He wants you to, he has a unique course and plan for your life, but don't put the pressure on him. Yes, you need there's things you need to do. Yes, you know, um, if you mess up, you need to make up, but don't give up. Yes, you need to take the right step. The next step should be the right step. Yes, you know, what's the next best step? What's the next best on step, you know, or step on purpose? Yeah, those are all great things, but it's not based on your performance, it's not based on you being perfect, it's not based on what people say about you because they may praise you and put you up one minute, and then on the next minute they may be crucifying you. So, but so you can't depend on people. People are fickle, they're uh they mean well, many of them, but they they they change. And just like emotions are deceptive, you may feel like you you can do it, but on the blue side, some days you may feel like you can't do it. But the point is, it's step by step, it's day by day, it's getting back up, it's realize putting the pressure on him. If he has a plan for your life, he wants you to get to that ending more than you want to get to that ending. So don't, don't, don't, don't overly put pressure on yourself. Don't overly worry about you doing, but just do your best with your next best on-purpose step, your next best intentional step. How do you eat an elephant one step at a time? So we gotta take step by step, bite by bite, bit by bit, and you'll get there.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Okay, Mr. Roberson. Uh what strengths do these students bring to college that institutions need to value more?

SPEAKER_02 9:58

What strengths um does different background of students, first generation, income eligible students bring? I think they bring a uh a wealth of resources and and talents and abilities and potential. I think that um they see it from a different point of view. There, you know, also I think it's great resilience, right? You know, um the resilience is the the ability to get back up and keep on going and to keep moving and not stop and not to let problems and situations or circumstances overwhelm them. You know, I you know I I grew I went to high school, I graduated from Milwaukee, Washington High School, per go to for life. Um you know, but by school, we it was in the middle of the city of Milwaukee grade school. It was very diverse at the time. But everything, because I went through life, I had challenges, I had things I had to face and deal with, and I overcame them. Mother died at 10 years old, had an inferiority, had a speech uh impairment. You know, um, I had my father, even though he was close in proximity, he was seven blocks down the street, he wasn't a major player in my life. And and, you know, and just dealing with all that sense of rejection and and you know, um try to commit suicide, all the things that that I faced at troubles and obstacles. But when I got knocked down, I got back up. Not back because I was so great, but it what other choice did I have? I had to get back up, I had to keep going. You know, there, you know, there was no quitting me. I, you know, even though I tried to kill, I had to realize that, hey, I have to overcome. So by the time they uh many first-generation income eligible students may come to campus, they may come with a diversity of opportunities, exposures, and life um challenges as well as overcoming. Plus, there's gifts, talents, and abilities in each, every and every one of them. But when I got to Market campus, I had dealt with adversity and I have overcome it just by even being at this point. So I was used to not sometimes every and sometimes not everything being perfect, but I I had a fight in me. I had it, I wanted this, I needed this, and I was gonna do whatever I needed to do in order to get there. So I think it, I think institutions of higher learning, um, by having a diversity of people from economic background, first generation, first generation status, and people that may have overcome a lot of obstacles before they even get to um the classroom, I think is great. I I was reading a book by um Valerie uh Burton. She has a great book out on the rules of resilience, and um I I I encourage you to pick up the book. Um, great book, a great read, but everybody has some things and brings some things to the table. And I believe that um Marquette was blessed because I was on campus, like it's blessed because we could bring our gifts, our talents, and our abilities. We can help to uh we can help to supply some things to institutions and a perspective that many may not have.

unknown 13:33

Mr.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Robertson, that's going to be my final question. Um when a student listening to this podcast is feeling unsure or overwhelmed about about college, what do you hope they uh remember after hearing this conversation?

SPEAKER_02 13:50

If you're uncertain about college. You know, to me, I would say what I I need you to start to think about why, what's the why behind why you want to go to college? What what's your purpose in life? What do you want to do? What do you want to accomplish? Why are you put on this earth? And I think sometimes that why or why I exist, why am I here? Why I want to do this, who do I feel like I'm called to? Or what thing am I called to? What thing am I called to do? What I help X accomplish Y to have some kind of impact. I think school and training, four-year school, two-year school, even apprenticeships, um, or some kind of training program. I think everybody there's gifts, talents, and abilities. And I think for everybody, there's there's a plan, there's a course for you to run. You have to find what's inside you you're passionate about, what's inside you that you want to do and go. You figure out where you are right now, and then we can map out a way how to get there. You know, um, I've seen people that found their love and their passion being on a fire department, right? Or the police department, or, you know, an electrician, or, you know, um an entrepreneur or an engineer or, you know, a higher ed uh higher ed college access personnel, or, you know, a doctor or a lawyer or a dentist or a basketball player or but it's a race for you to run. It's a course for you to run. You don't have to understand everything and know everything right now, but you still have to start to do the work, the dark work. And sometimes the work that you have to do, it's not in the light, it's not what everybody's watching. It's some things that maybe you have to struggle with, wait with, pray with, you know, um something seek research about. If you have a passion and a desire, I believe that as you start to know you better and more, it can help guide you to where you ought to need to be. Realize that college or training or school or each step is just a step. But you have to take a step. But the step that you take must be intentional. Sometimes you have to take intentional steps, step by step, bite by bite. That's how you eat that elephant.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Okay, Mr. Roberson, thank you. I think you can uh close the program today.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

Thank you, Mr. Mirror. Today we've been talking about how you can prepare for college even before you set one foot on a college campus. I think exposure, I think figuring out what you want to do, where you want to go, what you're passionate about can make, can be huge. Just remember what we say is today is the first step of you the rest of your life, and how do you get to the furthest journey is by taking step by step at a time. Also realize how do you eat that elephant? It's one bite or one step, one intentional step at a time, step by step, inch by inch, it's a cinch. And now you have the rest of the story. Until next time, have a great make it count.