Think Smart has really had an impact on my life. Before I joined Think Smart, I did not care about my grades and I had no plans of going to college. Soon as I joined the program I fell in love. The college tours and workshops got me thinking college does not seem like a a bad idea. Now its 2 years later and I'm making better grades, staying out of trouble, graduating from high school and about to take my journey to Fayetteville State soon! Thank you Think Smart for everything you have done for me. Ms. Pam, thank you so much for everything. No matter how many times I have come in your office, you always helped me. I promise you that I will come and visit you. I know I am going to be texting you every week while I am in college asking you questions that I should already know the answers to. I love you so much Ms. Pam and thank you once again!

 

Jaquana

 

 

I have been a part of Think Smart since its debut in 2001. As a child you learn things quickly. At the ripe age of eight years old, I decided I was going to be successful. Think Smart's motto is "Reaching for Success on star at a Time". Our summer camp teachers taught us the meaning of being successful and how we could get there. We played educational games and played games that required efficient teamwork. I did not realize it at the time but now I realize that I was learning life skills that I would need for the rest of my life. I am forever grateful to those who were on the staff and made sure that I received the proper information about how I could become the person I dream of being.

 

My process of deciding what schools to apply to was simple. There was the option of only applying to the school I wanted to attend or applying to multiple schools and getting multiple acceptance letters. I choose the latter. I was always sure about what schools I wanted to go to but for a very short time I let my parents influence me. I remember a discussion from a Pre-Collegiate Workshop about not letting our parents dictate our future. We have to make our own decisions and begin our adulthood. If we let our parents decide everything in college, we will never know how to do things on our own and we wouldn't have the opportunity to enjoy college life. Remembering that was the best thing I could have done. That workshop saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life. Another discussion we had in that workshop was about summer school. In high school, we think of summer school as a remediation from people who failed. In college, summer school is a way for you to get ahead. I started looking for a summer program but I failed in finding one that I could apply to because I was over qualified for the program that I initially wanted to be in. But by me calling the school, my name was put down for a different program. This program that I will be attending June 21st is for freshman engineering majors. I will be taking Calculus 1 and getting ahead of the other engineering majors.

 

It is because of Think Smart that I fell in love with North Carolina A&T State University. I have always wanted to attend NC A&T. In middle school, I went on a campus tour with Think Smart and I was hooked. This past year I went on another college campus tour of NC A&T  with Think Smart and I could see everything from a different point of view. I am older now and understand the concept of growing up and going to college. I feel as if A&T is my home and I cannot wait to go there in June.

 

Think Smart has impacted my life in a very strong way. By getting involved with Think Smart I was introduced to a lot of new things that I never would of seen if I did not join. I met new friends, met a cousin for the first time, went on college tours and many other things. Think Smart always surrounded me with a positive atmosphere and I really began to respect them and gave them my trust as time went on because I believed they could help me become the first boy in my family to graduate college. I thank Think Smart and hopefully when I make it BIG one day I can come back and help support Think Smart like they supported me!
 

 Keya