To New Beginnings!
To New Beginnings...
Elaine wanted to be a
coroner. She talked about it; she dreamed of the day when she could
solve the problems of the world by uncovering medical truths through
autopsy. She was so enthusiastic and persistent that we created a
one-person field trip for her to meet the county coroner.
Elaine had one little
obstacle keeping her from reaching her dream; she struggled to earn C’s
in science and math. When she graduated, I helped her with her college
applications. I had to tell her that if she truly wanted medicine as a
career, she would have to go to a community college to build her math
and science skills before entering the university as a Biological
Sciences major. She did....
As I counseled Elaine, I
consulted Harvey Williams, then director of Medical School Admissions at
the University of California, Irvine. I asked Harvey when we need to
tell a student they're not going to make it; they need to pursue other
dreams. Harvey, as always, gave me wise advice:
"You never have that right.
You tell them what they will have to do.
The choice is always theirs."
You tell them what they will have to do.
The choice is always theirs."
Harvey knows about new
beginnings. When Harvey Williams was nine years old, he and his family
were accosted by members of the Ku Klux Klan. They fled in the middle
of the night, with horse and buggy carrying all their earthly
possessions. At age thirteen, Harvey Williams started school and
flunked algebra –– three times! Today, Harvey Williams holds three
Ph.D's. He recently retired as Director of Admissions for the College of
Medicine at the University of California, Irvine.
Harvey is one person I know
who might logically hate me because of the color of my skin, but he
doesn't seem to have a hate bone in his body. He is at peace with his
past. It's sad. Racism is real, but we choose our reactions. Harvey has
chosen to make the world a better place.
In SCORE, one of our slogans says "Never put a lid on a kid." Students will have problems as they negotiate life. They will periodically do less than they are capable of doing. They will
sometimes make unwise decisions that affect them for their rest of
their lives. Our role is to help them see that they have choices. In the
words of Zig Ziglar, "Failure is an event; it is not a person."
How did Elaine fare? Last
time I saw her, she had completed community college...taken a little
detour to have a baby...and entered the University of California,
Irvine, majoring in Biology!
"You tell them what they have to do. The choice is always theirs." Thanks again, Harvey.
