POV

-All right!

Indistinct shouting

Gunshot

-Get down, get down! -Where's that gun? -We got shots fired over here. -Living on the South Side of Chicago, anybody can tell you, it's not easy. My particular area I live in, though, is filled with drugs, violence.

Police radio chatter

I try to stay positive just to keep my man off the streets and the gang violence and the drugs. Just because you come from that area don't mean you gotta follow into it. But it's real rough. I plan on being a doctor, and I plan on going to medical school. How I'm gonna pay for medical school and how I'm gonna get to medical school, those are things that I think about. -I know that I have to get out of here. I have to be the one to make it through college. If I don't, what's the outlook for me? Am I scared? Yeah. God knows that the future can be disturbed or it can be messed up by one wrong decision that I make. Like with the stuff that happens these days, like students getting killed, like a 15-year-old boy getting stomped to death or like a grown man found in an alley. Like, that stuff really scares me 'cause I don't never want that to be me.

Siren wails

Is college the real thing that I want to do? Can I make the right grades? -I just want to make a positive impact in the society I live in. I got to be focused. Oh, there's no stopping me. Yeah, I'm gonna make my family and my grandma proud. -Shooting violence has gotten so bad in Chicago that gun fights are breaking out now at existing crime scenes. Civilians were ducking... -A major study shows that this could reduce heart attacks by 54%, strokes by 47%, and deaths overall by 20%. Ken Nolan and Anthony... Officials say the blood from... -I thought you was getting up early this morning. -I have to study for my final exam for British...

Indistinct talking on TV

So, that's probably what kept you up all night. -No, I heard you on the phone. -I wasn't on the phone. -Who was on the phone? -Rolston. -I heard your mouth. This is what I was saving, I found. -Oh! Wow. -See how I keep y'all's junk? -This ain't junk. -So if you ever have some kids, you can show it to your kids. That's why I keep it. -I live on the South Side of Chicago in the Gardens Housing Project with my mom and little brother, Devante. Like, my family -- Like, my father's side of the family is real gang-affiliated. My uncle was, like, the king of the B.D.s, so it was like I was real affiliated with a whole lot of gangbangers in my day. Like, when I started high school, I was just getting in the game, and the money was looking kind of good to me. So, like, no, I didn't think I was gonna finish. I thought I was gonna drop out. My mother wanted me to go to high school, so I respect my mother, I go. I go to school. But that don't mean that I'm gonna do good in school. I'm trying to give them reasons to kick me out. -We are the young men of Urban Prep. We are college bound. We are exceptional, not because we say it, but because we work hard at it. We are dedicated, committed, and focused. We never succumb to mediocrity, uncertainty, or fear. We believe in ourselves, we believe in each other, we believe in Urban Prep. We believe.

Cheers and applause

Indistinct talking

-We test the positive one over here, it didn't work. We didn't get a zero. -Being in an all-boys school really helped me find out what a real man is. You know, I was able to stay focused. I don't gotta worry about trying to impress some female. Some teachers and staff want to see you succeed, not only make sure you go to college, but to graduate from college. -All right, gentlemen, this is our second meet, all right? Our second meet, all right? A little bit different. A little bit more experienced team that we're wrestling against. And I want you guys to go out there and wrestle as hard as you can. I'll be right here. -In elementary school, I was going down a wrong path. I was hanging with the wrong crowd. I was just trying to be the big man on campus.

All chanting

I was like one of those students like, "I know this stuff, but you're not gonna make me do it, unless I really want to." -Let's go! Keep your hand up! Let's go! -I'm a three-sport athlete -- football, wrestling, and track. I still keep over a 3.8 GPA, which is very difficult to do. -This way! Come on, walk this way. There you go, walk this way! Keep walking! -My first wrestling coach, Mr. Price, he said, like, "Wrestling is life." You know, you wrestle. You struggle. You will struggle with the opponent. You will, like, tie up with him, you will grapple with him. You gonna grapple with life." -Let's go, scoop that arm! Let's go, right now! Right now! Right now! Walk to his head. -You gotta have a strategy. You gotta be on your toes. You gotta think, you gotta think. -Get that arm, there it is! There it is!

Applause

-Basically what we want to do here is get your essay to the point where it really communicates to, you know, the folks at the various colleges -- who you are now, who you were previously, and kind of who you want to be in the future and what your plan is for, you know, the evolution of Krishaun. So you tell me what we mapped out here. -Okay, fifth grade, with that being my first real fight, like, it took a big hold on me. It showed me, like, that, like, in Chicago, like, nice quiet kid, that's not accepted. So either I had a choice, either was gonna fight back, or I was gonna continue to be victimized. And that's what I did not want. So I began to fight back. And once I fought back once, I accepted fighting as a lifestyle. -It is sometimes difficult for a kid who lives in the projects to buy into this idea that things can be different, because he hasn't seen a whole lot different. Part of the work that we're doing is getting him to realize that, you know, while he might have made some bad decisions at some points, he's always been a good guy, he's always been a great kid, he's always had a loving spirit. And while he's on board with this idea of going away to college and finishing college and coming back and, hopefully, helping to change his community in some positive ways, you know, we can't escape the fact that when he leaves school every day, he's running up against some forces and some people that would much rather see him make poor decisions than make the right decisions.

School bell rings, indistinct talking

-

Speaking Spanish

-My first experience at Urban Prep was rough. Like, I was fighting, cursing out teachers. Then I got into a little altercation with another student, and I was already on probation. They told me, like, I've been given chance after chance and I was gonna have to leave. -He puts a time limit on it. What's that time limit? -So I left. -It didn't take long for me to realize that Krishaun was gang-affiliated. I told him that you need to find more friends or better friends to hang with, because, you know, the little drug dealing and that way of life, it doesn't end in nothing positive. For me, getting into gangs was, you know, like, "Hey, I'm somebody, you know. I'm cool now." It was something that my peers was doing, that my family members were a part of. So it wasn't hard to, you know, follow along. I didn't graduate from high school. And then when Krishaun came along, it was a way to turn around, you know? I knew that I had to get my things together, do the right things, and, you know, get on the right track to be the mother and the father for Krishaun. -Yeah, there you go. Do that thing again. -When I left school, they were telling me, "Oh, just keep your grades up, and you'll come back, no problem." But, like, with all the girls around and all the activities that was going on, my grades really sucked. Then the next situation to happen was my close friend got killed. To me, they were signs, like, you need to get your stuff together, 'cause either you gonna drop out and be a nobody, or you're gonna end up dead or in jail. I went to my mom on my own and said, "I want to go back to Urban Prep." -Damn! -Dang, dude!

Dog barking

-I grew up on a farm in Mississippi, and we sharecropped it. I did not have running water. We had to go to the well and draw the water. I didn't have electricity, a radio, TV, or nothing like that. I went to school up until I was in the fifth grade, and that was the end of my schooling. I continued to read everything I could get my hands on and count and whatever. And my kids tell me know, "For you not to go to school no more than till you was in the fifth grade, you is really smart." I say, "Well, I try to be." -If I didn't have my grandma, I wouldn't have been the young man who I am today. My grandma really played, like, a big role in my life, yeah, like the mother, the father. Everything to me -- a friend. Anything I had to say to her or talk about, she was always there. -Can you walk fast? -Yes, but I'm walking slow. -You walking too fast for me. I know you -- -Sorry. -I know you like to walk fast. -I don't walk fast, I just walk. Why do you say I walk fast? -I can't walk fast. - You walk If you're sick And you can't get well Tell them what you want -My youngest daughter, Robert's mother, her boyfriend killed her, and I taken her seven kids in. Robert was 17 months old when his mother got killed by his father. -Know you today, Father, as an all-knowing God. I know, Father, you know all things. You see everything that we do, Father. You know our cares, and you know our hearts. You know -- you even know -- -When I lost my daughter, I was really sick for a long time. But I had to go on for the kids. I don't know how I did it, but with God's help, I made it. -If I had a chance to see my mother again, I would look at her and smile. But this is -- How far I really made it is just -- I know it was not, like, her fault, like, to be with my father and the road she took. She tried. I'd say, "Look -- look -- look how far I made it. I made you proud." -Start dancing, start dancing! -No, I'm not gonna start dancing, no. -Go on, go on! -The big day is finally here. -Yeah! -Yeah! -Yeah! -And our expectation is you're gonna go to college, you're gonna stay in school, you're gonna graduate from college, and you're gonna be sending me invitations to your college graduation.

Cheers and applause

Indistinct shouting

-Mr. Sherman Ben. -It really only takes one generation to kind of right the course for any family. -Mr. Krishaun Curtis Branch. Mr. Jonathan... -A guy like Krishaun Branch, whose mom didn't go to college and whose dad, I'm assuming, hasn't been to college, he goes to college, he goes on and has a career. That changes everything for his family from that point forward. Now, I think the real power in what we're doing is that we are giving these guys a chance to kind of rewrite the future for their families. -Mr. Justin Bryant Marlow.

Cheering

Mr. Robert Lee Henderson III, Magna Cum Laude. Mr. Jerry A. Hines Jr., Cum Laude. Mr. Rayvon Hines, Summa Cum Laude. -I'm so proud of you. So proud. You made me finally proud of my own graduation. Stop crying. -Well, I know, but... -It feels so good, so good, so good, Something that I never dreamed before.

Camera shutter clicks

-A trunk party is like a birthday party, and it's like when people bring you things for college. So it's really like they help you put more money in your pocket, 'cause there's a lot of things in there that I don't have to buy now. So that's a lot of money I got in my pocket right now. Hey, I ain't got no car. Thank you. Big Panther. -What's up, man? -What is Krishaun's major at Fisk University? What is his major? -Criminal justice! -Criminal justice, no. -Sociology! Sociology! -His major is sociology, yeah! All right! He's American sociology. -The expectancy of a young man in Englewood community is to the age of, hopefully, 18. And most of them say, "Well, if I live to get 18, then"... And I've heard so many young men say that. -Say they might not make it. -Yeah, they know. They say, "I probably won't make it. So if I make it until 18, I'm gonna have myself a party." So that's the life expectancy of a young man in the Englewood community. -Mm-hmm. -Favor is already on him, right? -Right! -So we just gonna continue to just pray for him as he begins to make this transition in his life.

All cheering

-That will work, so... -Whoo! You got a lot of stuff. -Yeah, I know, right? -Let me have that pillow, boy. -You brought that pillow for college.

Both laugh

Oh, it's nothing. It ain't gonna fit. That's gonna be too thick. -Why don't you hold your hats? -Yeah, I could do that. -Hand me one of these. That's what I just... -I love you, okay? -Yeah, I love you, too, and I'm gonna miss you. -Thanks. I'm gonna miss you, too. -Mm-hmm. -Hey, man, what you bring in, a body? -Oh, my God.

Sighs

Whoo. -One second. Oh. Open a window or something. -Yeah. One down, a couple of rounds to go. -Well, I guess this is where y'all put y'all when y'all company come over. -Sit down. Oh! Ah. College life. -You need some fabric spray. -Yeah, that probably would do it. I chose Lake Forest because it's not too far from home, though it's not too close to home, either. They given me a lot of money and state scholarship, leadership scholarship, also academic scholarship. -So do you guys have any questions or anything? Where are you guys from? -Also, they have a really high percentage of students going to medical school. I'm planning to go to medical school and specialize in anesthesiology. -We'll take a look in the library now. -There's freedom, though, at college. I'm on my own for the first time, so see where that takes me.

Train whistle blows

-The thing that I'm most nervous about going to college is the work. I'm really not a study guy, so with me having to study a lot more and do a lot more things, that's what I'm most nervous about. Mike. -Crime is the violation of norms that have been written into law. And as it relates to race and crime, minorities are overrepresented in crime statistics. -I want to be a police officer, and I see myself with two kids and seeing my grandkids' grandkids. -How many of you have had somebody that's told you you can't be anything? What if you were working with a young person out in the community? Perhaps they're 10 or 11 years of age. And they've had teachers or they've had losses in their lives. And they don't think that they can make it. What could you tell them? So many African-American males that enter college know as many, if not more, from their community that ended up in juvenile, never had opportunity, or dead -- all kinds of things. If a 10- or 11-year-old says, "I don't like math," what can you do? To make it out of that community means that you're resilient, means that you were able to hold on to some things academically. And so it's helping them understand that my resilience that got me out there was the first step. "I'm gonna use that same resilience to push through college. Nobody's gonna hold my hand, nobody's gonna say, 'Because you're an African-America male,' that you got it easy." But teaching them to take it to the next level, 'cause they can change the world with that resilience. -The expectation for me here, from the outside view is, like, very huge on my shoulders. Because I see that I have some very huge shoes to fill. And if I don't fill them shoes, I'm gonna let a lot of people down. And I don't want to do that. I deal with the pressure day by day. I try not to think about all of that. I just try to think about completing this mission and accomplishing and getting my four-year degree and going back and showing you can make it out of Englewood doing some of the things I did and still be successful. -Now, what would non-sister chromatids be there for? -Coming to Lake Forest, it was like, "Wow, okay." -All of these cell divisions... -Being one of the black kids in a biology or chemistry class, while the rest is white. -These are bone marrow cells, I believe, being replaced -- to replace ones that have either gone somewhere else or just are... -You look around the classroom, there's only probably a total of four black students in there. And probably three of them is females and one of them is a dude. -Most of the cells you're looking at are not gonna have a whole lot going on. -We can attend, but like I say, my goal is to some day be a doctor. And I'm not gonna back down. I didn't get to Lake Forest College all because of a miracle. I got here because I worked hard, I bust my butt off to get there. -The narrator paints John as kind of a questioner. He's not just soaking this information up, he's questioning. So he's not just average. A student like Robert, he lives on the South Side of Chicago where, you know, Chicago is still quite segregated. But, you know, he's around black people who talk like he does, people who understand him even if they don't talk like he does. And he comes up here, and he's somewhat a fish out of water, kind of like an alien. He has to learn how to be comfortable with that, how to fit in, and how to let other people understand him. That can be very challenging. And that reflects what Du Bois is saying in his earlier essays. It's not a Negro problem, it's an American problem. One student once said she felt like a black stain on a white t-shirt. And I thought that was a powerful metaphor for how out of place she sometimes felt. And this was a student who had adjusted, who was popular, who was smart. And it just floored me to hear her say that. You know, but she was constantly dealing with that sense of being so different. -Coming to a black college was important to me, and now it's more like a family instead of just being probably one of the black guys on campus or being just a regular student. -Oh, and this right here, that's... -And, like, I'm proud that I'm here. It's so much history around me that, you know, it makes it even better. Everything's going great. It's just that, for me, being my first year in college and being as free as I am, it's kind of difficult. I don't really know how to use my time wisely a lot. Anything can get me off track real quick. -

Laughs

-I'm gonna try it. -And that's kind of bad, in a way, that I'm not organized or I'm not -- I don't keep my schedule. But I'm just trying my way for now. And if it just don't work by the end of the semester and I have some bad grades, someone else suggests a way, I'll have to take it. -Where are the electrons? How close are they? -I did come to Lake Forest with high expectations that knowing that I'm gonna do good. You know, I never thought college would be a walk in the park. I thought I'd do a little bit better. When I failed the first chemistry quiz, it was like, you know, it was a reality check. I reckon, like, that my weakness was chemistry. I have to drop it. At first, it stressed me out. The first reaction was, "You're gonna be behind. You not gonna be on everybody else pace or on the same level as anybody else." I was feeling down, but it's a learning process. You're just not gonna learn everything just like snapping your fingers. It's not gonna happen. It's about, you know, put the pride to the side, seek out help. If you don't know it, you need to ask, 'cause if you don't ask, you're never gonna know it. -Now, the real thing is we dropped Chem 114. -Right. -But you need Chem 115 for the bio major. And what I don't want to see is that you come in next year in the fall, take the placement exam, and if you can't place into Chem 115, it really sort of makes it a lot harder to think about completing a bio major. And I know that's 15. Academically, Robert's facing some challenges. Arithmetic concepts that are... He is facing some deficiencies in terms of his preparation. And I think it really came to a head just about the week before warning grades, when he actually missed a class of mine and said, "Well, I had to go to work." And I said, "You can't miss class to go to work." And he said, "Well, but I'm worried. I don't think I have enough money to make my next tuition payment." And so I dragged him into my office and sat him down and said, "Okay, we need to talk about this. You need some relief. This is why we're gonna drop Chem 114. Then focus on the other three classes, get those grades as good as you can get them, because you don't get to stay if you don't have the grades." The hard part is finding the motivation to keep going. -Well, see, that's not the hard part for me because my motivation is that they see me off to college, they got me out of Englewood, where I was from, and they see me in college. And my grandmother, she came from Mississippi to take care of me. You know, she didn't say, "Well, he gonna be a failure anyway, so might as well let him go to an orphanage." She didn't do that. So I think about, you know, saying, "She didn't give up on me, God didn't give up on me, my family didn't give up, my friends didn't give up. Why should I give up on myself?" If I give up on myself, that's a smack in the face to all the people who supported me. So that's one of the reasons I'm gonna keep on going. If I'm not gonna -- I'm gonna finish college. Only way I might get put out of college is if I can't pay tuition.

Laughs

That's about it. I refuse to fail. I just -- -We gotta set manageable goals in the short term. -All right. -I mean, your long-term goals, I have no doubt you'll be fine. We want to keep the goals manageable in the short-term so that you can see some progress and know that you're doing the right thing.

Bell clanging

-One of the things that I don't like that I see a lot of is when we get in our classes for the first time and we take these teachers, and we hear people talking, "These teachers are hard. Don't take this teacher, don't do this, don't do that, don't do this." We automatically do what? Say, "Oh, man!" You know, if I could at least pass with a what? -A "C." -A "C," then I'm good. You see what I'm saying? That's what we always say. But why do we take that mentality? Why have we -- Understand that even before you've received your first assignment and get your first grade, what have you already done to yourself? -Set yourself at a lower standard. -You set yourself for the lower standard. That's a mind-set that will be debilitating to you no matter what you do. One of the things that I did for myself early on, you know, as I was observing how people were talking, upperclassmen were talking, I said, "There will be no class that will defeat me." And I'd take my highlighter, and I'd highlight only the "A" ranges. Even if I don't get that in class, highlight only the "A" ranges, because what I'm saying to myself, "I'm not gonna get anything lower than this. Because I deserve this." 'Cause if you don't expect much, you're not gonna... -Do much. -Do much. -Well, I want to be a successful man. I want to complete the things that I want to do with my life. Like being a U.S. Marshal, being a successful family man, having children, having a gorgeous wife, be able to buy the things I want to buy. Everything is in my hands. -I got a long trip. How you doing? -I'm doing okay. You ain't gonna give me no hug or nothing? -Oh, I'm sorry. I got a lot of stuff in my hands. Give me a big hug. Mm! Mwah! Missed you. -I missed you, too. -Did the hallways get smaller, or I got bigger? -You got bigger. -

Laughs

Ringtone plays

Sorry.

Ringtone stops

-Some of your friends calling? -Mm-hmm. My girlfriend. -That's your girlfriend here or your girlfriend -- -Here. I only got one girlfriend -- that's Crystal. -Mm-hmm. -I don't got no girlfriend out there. -Mm-hmm. Tell me anything. Don't have your girlfriend hear it and get her pregnant and her mama be cursing me out. -Mm, oh, no. I'm not having sex right now with my girlfriend, Crystal. -Please. -I'm telling you the truth. But if I -- if I was, I'd tell you. -What, your face itching? -Oh, yeah, it be itching. All the hair. -So why don't you cut it off? Take the scissors and cut it off. -No. -I couldn't get over the way your head looked. -Yeah. It's college.

Indistinct singing

Another day -Hi, how are you? -I was lucky. -What's up, man? They said, "Good job." You come over here and... -One, two, three. -First semester, I was kind of anxious, you know, to go back to what I was used to. But now I'm kind of getting used to doing some new things. My attitude is getting a lot better. Really starting off life on my own. -Hey, shortie! -Excuse me. When I first got here, I didn't trust anyone. I think, for myself, I'm just so used to living in a dangerous environment. I'm used to worrying walking down and getting jumped on. It's kind of different here because I don't have to worry about those things. -When I arrived on campus, I did try to do a lot of things. I was trying to get involved. But I work two jobs. I need the work study to pay for tuition to go here. You know, I was on the football team for a while. And I paid for that, because I was unprepared for the chemistry quiz, which I failed the quiz. You hear it all the time when people say, "When you dig yourself in a hole, it's hard to dig yourself out of the hole." And that's exactly what I did. I learned that I gotta put my studies first. -Where are you in the drafting process? Do you have a full draft? -No, I do not have a full draft. I have three pages. You have to realize that you're not gonna be the smartest person in the world. Like I always tell my professors, though, y'all is not gonna see no student who works harder than me. I refuse to be defeated. -Population increasing and the demand for transportation... -

Speaking foreign language

-How you doing in your classes? -You know, it's kind of -- kind of slow. I done missed a couple of assignments. -Okay. -Due to that, and -- -Have you gone by to speak to each one of your instructors? -Not personally. -Why don't we do that? You have about a week and a half left in this month. Let's make that a monthly goal. Why you think I would ask you to do that? -I understand going to see them on a daily basis, just letting them know that I am interacting in class. If I have some problems, let them know where I'm having problems at. And when the time do come when I need help, they won't mind, you know. -So I want to make sure that you continue to build those relationships with folks. -I didn't do as well in all my classes as I thought I would. It's not looking like I'm gonna make that 2.5 GPA, which I need to keep my financial aid. I really don't know how I'm gonna pay for next semester. I'm here on a mystery of, am I gonna finish? It really gets in my head, then start slacking on work, then getting depressed, stuff like that. And I don't want to go through that. So I try not to even think about financial difficulties. Things I'm afraid of is failing school, period. Like, if I don't make that GPA, I won't be -- won't be back here. That's my biggest fear. -Going! Going again. -Yeah. -I'm telling you, everybody say I get lots of exercise. This is my fifth time over here today. -Yeah. -The landlord sold the house without us knowing about it, so now we got like 90 days to move out the house. And, you know, the 90 days is almost up. -Come on, get on your job. -You ain't get on your job, 'cause it's supposed to be back there by the back door. -I taking them from upstairs. What? Oh, don't make me lose my religious, okay? 'Cause you know I'll go off in a minute. -I go off, too. -And I bet you I'll put a stop to yours, too. -We'll see. We'll see about that. -Okay, I got my weapon. Are you ready? -Come on!

Laughs

Laughing

Come on! Oh, man! -I hope I don't have to move no more. You see, I washed off your mama's thing. -Only thing we got left for her. -Mm-hmm. Read this to me. -"Outstanding overall volunteer, 1989-1990 Englewood Family Center Head Start, Verna Caldwell." It was always a sharp pain in my heart. Somebody just like an archer just shooting arrows at my heart every time, like, a memory of my mother come past. At the age of 15, I comprehend what really happened to my mother. My father was on drugs. He ran over her with his car. And that was the death of my mother. My father knew it was wrong, he knew it was wrong to take my mother's life away. But, you know, I do forgive him. My grandmother even say I can forgive my father if I want to, but my grandmother even said she's not gonna forgive what he done to her. This is rough. And I realize, "Oh, okay, I don't really need him." No, I made it this far without him. I got my grandma, I got my brothers, I got my sisters, got my cousins, got my aunties, uncles. I'm good. I got my family, so... -My job this summer is making sure that everything around the church is all right. I'm doing this program for six weeks. It's a $600 stipend. -How you doing? -I'm all right. -Good. -Good morning. You know, it was kind of a struggle trying to get a job when I first got down here. Until this job actually came to me. My You Can case worker came to my house and asked me did I have a job and did I want a job. And I said, "Yes." What needs to be done? And You Can helps provide jobs for people who really can't find jobs on their own. -Unlock the doors. -When I go back to Fisk, my plan is to go see the financial advisor. Tuition just went up another $1,000. I don't have the money that I had last semester. Only thing my mom can contribute now is like $200. 'Cause that's all she have to her name, so... I believe that my grades is better, I wouldn't be in such a deep hole that I am in now. I might not be going back to school. That's just something I have to face.

Train whistle blows

-Okay. -My financial aid officer helped me find grants and loans to pay off my balance. -As you continue to receive scholarships and we're able to eliminate some of the loans that you have, then you'll have a much lower indebtedness when you leave. -Before I came here, like on my way -- well, yeah, really on my way here, I was scared, because I didn't know what I had to pay. Only thing I knew is that I had to pay was around $6,000-some for the year. So that was $3,000 a semester. -Mm-hmm. -That's what I knew of. And I knew that I didn't have that. But me coming here and hearing that, that's just... That's a miracle to me.

Indistinct shouting

-I had a question about, since these is closer to the nucleus, would it make it a lot more harder to move? -But we're focused on the outermost electron. -Oh! -So we've got -- That one looks good. That one looks good. So this is not bad. You got five out of the eight, which is really pretty good. So... Do you have any thoughts on how you studied for that exam and things that you wanted to change or do differently? That's really the part you want to work on. Figuring out what information is actually provided to you and how to organize it. Once you learn to do that, most of these problems become fairly easy to solve. Let's think way ahead to being a doctor, right? You're walking in to a brand-new patient, you have no idea what they're gonna throw at you, but you have to have a way of taking apart the information they give you, reorganizing it, and coming up with a diagnosis that makes sense. -That is totally correct. -That problem-solving skill is a life-long skill, and you're learning it now, and it's hard. That's why it's hard. You know, doctors go through a lot of education for a reason. It's hard. -Excellent. So, appreciate this. -All set? -Yeah, I'm all set, Professor. -Okay. Have a good weekend. -Oh, you do the same. -Enjoy it. You've had a hard week. -Thank you. -You've worked hard. -Thank you.

Chuckles

-I need the two numbers that are multiplied to equal these but to add... -This year is gonna be different for me from last year by getting better grades, because I know where I stand. And I know that if I slack, I'm really killing myself. -Would you rather have a spokesperson, or is everybody gonna... -See, last year, I didn't have a GPA goal to reach. I was just coming in, I was getting anything that I was making. But now I want to make a 3.0, and I want to do better. With the school that I came from, we do not give up. We do not fail because we never give up. And I would feel like I failed myself and I would have failed other people. -Take a look at chem activity three, the last problem. This is a pretty key for -- as the foundational basis for everything that we're gonna do from here on out. The biggest issue for Robert was we had hit a point in the fall semester where it was gonna be really hard for him to pull off a passing grade in General Chemistry. But all we're doing is thinking back to the thing that holds that electron in place is the Coulombic potential energy. So at the point that we decided that he needed to withdrawal from General Chemistry, it meant that he couldn't continue on in the biology course work that he needed for his medical school prerequisites, either. And since he's already a sophomore, it would mean that he probably couldn't finish a bio major in the two years that he had left. It's increasing faster. -I have not given up on pre-med. I put in a lot of work over the summer and in my freshman year courses, so just to give up on something that I love doing... So it's not I'm giving up on them, I'm taking a different route. -Since you're looking at a history major and American studies major, what I think you want to do is figure out someone who teaches in American studies. If I think about all the pre-med majors that we get, I would say probably 10% actually end up doing that. And the rest choose other majors, they find other avenues, or they decide, you know, maybe there's some other health profession. -Like, try to bring my GPA up. -Okay. I don't think that we've hurt Robert's chances at all. I think, if anything, if he can finish four years of college with a strong GPA and a good record, that opens him up to earn a high-paying job, that opens him up to save some money, hopefully, so that he can make his own decisions. Looks like you're on your way for a history major and/or American studies major. -Really looking forward to it. -That's the important part. -Oh, yeah.

Net swishes

Ball bounces

-I hit a huge wall, a huge downfall in my college career. I got depressed, stressed. My grades went down. I just started to give up. I wanted to go home and just give it all up. What happened was in the beginning of the semester, I was pledging for a fraternity. I didn't finish the process, so I didn't get accepted. One thing that comes with being a part of a Greek organization is being a part of the stepping contest. They do it at all the black colleges. Since I got here, I wanted to be a part of a certain fraternity.

All chanting

Indistinct singing

I didn't get in because the people who I was supposed to meet eye to eye didn't meet eye to eye. So that was the end of my process. Not getting accepted felt like a failure that I couldn't have any control over. And I feel like that's the worst failure. -Bring it up. Watch that left arm, people. Offense. -Oh. -Oh, offense! Offense. Two shots! -It's been hard being a black man at Lake Forest College. There's not that many of us on this campus. You know, it don't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. I'm doing something that most African-American men just aren't doing, that's excelling at a predominantly white college. Oh, 9:00? -Uh-huh. -You can feel the vibe when I walk into the classroom. And, for me, being the only African-American man in the classroom, you know, the rest of the people is Caucasian. Now, you can just tell by the look in their eyes, they look at me like, "Oh, what the heck are you doing here?" You know, "Why I'm in the class with you?" You can feel that vibe. I'm not naive. But I never let the people who criticize me determine my destiny and my purpose I have at this college. I just pay attention to my schoolwork. Any classroom I go into, I always sit in the front. I don't sit in the back, because I'm here to focus on the professor. -I just -- I just don't know where to start. I don't -- I guess I can start -- Well, what is it that you want from me, sir? What do you want? -Allow me another opportunity to, you know, better my grade or prove myself, that I am capable of doing the work, which I am. -My challenge in this has been to try to figure out, "Okay, so how do we -- How can I facilitate your being successful in my class? How do I get that?" I have been struggling with, "Maybe he doesn't understand the material. I know he has access to it. Maybe he doesn't get it." -It was more about my motivation. It's not that I couldn't read it. -You couldn't get the motivation. -Yeah. I basically just, you know, gave up on academics, you know, for a while. -Right. Well, this is what I'm gonna offer you, and this is what I'm offering your classmates. I'm offering you guys an opportunity to take an incomplete in the class. -Okay. -For you, I want you to write me a paper. This is an all-or-none game. Remember, with the DSM-5, part of what they've done is they've added this continuum. Somebody who... He came to college with a very different idea of what it was gonna be like. Instead of just sucking it up and doing the work and adjusting, he keeps wanting... the environment to adjust to him. You know it? I think that if he actively competed in the way that he should, then I think that he could excel. Checking it, double-checking it, those kinds of things. But it requires interest. And if he's not interested... -You only live once. -YOLO. -How is that YOLO? -That's what I mean, YOLO. -You only live once? -Mm-hmm. -I thought YOLO was like LOL.

Laughs

-My girlfriend's name is Angelica. She's from Rome -- really from Ukraine -- but grew up in Rome. -I thought people were just laughing, and I said... -Me and her have been seeing each other for about three months now. Hopefully, if -- if my finance allows me, I can come and visit you over the summer, before August. It was actually amazing. Really a blessing. So what do you -- What's your plans while you're in New York? -Well, technically, I should be taking another course. -She definitely has, like, given me the extra drive, the push for me to become a better student. -I'll probably -- I'll try to find, like, a job, I suppose. -Or we do weightlifting, as well, too?

Laughs

-Sorry, but I don't think I can beat you... -And, like, for the first time in a long time, like, I actually am happy. -He was one of the first people I met. Made me feel welcomed. I was adopted when I was 7. But I've been in the orphanage since I was a little kid. I see myself sometimes through him in a sense that I don't show my past, you know? I don't show the fact that I was an orphan, you know? And, like him, we didn't have parents. We're very powerful people, you know? Are you happy, honey? -Are you happy? That's the question you should be asking yourself. -I am happy. Are you? -Yeah, I'm happy.

Train whistle blows

-All right, young man. I'm trying to figure out what this semester's been like for you. -Well, it started off on a good note. -Okay. -But, you know, it went downhill from there. Basically, I have one class required that I'm passing. I have two classes that I'm failing. I had three classes I was failing, but I chose to drop one of them to, you know, help my GPA in the long run. But then another one I'm barely passing. -So what did you do with your professors? -I went to go talk to -- -Particularly those two classes that you had the two "Es" in? -I went to go talk to one professor -- Dr. Collins. I tried to deal with things myself instead of, you know, bringing a lot of other people into it. And I want to feel like I accomplished something on my own. -Well, this is what I'm gonna say to you. You need to talk to your professors -- this is the end of the semester -- to see what you can do to pull your grade up, okay? You and I gonna meet at least on a monthly basis, and you really don't want me to track you down. So we can't get -- we can't crawl up and hide out just because we didn't do what we need to do this semester. I still don't think -- I think you got some other semesters you didn't do what you needed to do. Guess what? We can't do squat about that. We can only do it going forward. The true test is what we do when we're faced with the tough options, when if we have dug a hole or somebody has put us in a hole, the true testament is how you get up and pull yourself up. You're trying to salvage this semester. -Well, this affects my financial aid situation deeply, because if I don't retain a certain GPA, my scholarship money will be taken away. I have a lot of people looking at me. And... the ball is in my court. -You need to make sure that you get everything back on track. People struggle their senior year, okay? You don't even have room. You've given up all those semesters. You don't have room to struggle. -Let's go, Robert!

Indistinct shouting

Whistle blows

Cheering

-The amount of pressure that I'm facing right now, it's a lot. There's been numerous amount of times that I came close to quitting. The thing that keeps me going is knowing that the amount of people who worked hard to get me here, like my grandmother, some of the staff from Urban Prep, my family, my brothers and sisters -- I can't let everybody down. -You know, Gandhi came to this idea of passive resistance from his experience. -Since I've been here, my GPA has been between a solid "B" to an "A." Last semester was my best semester ever, having about a 3.68. I'm just stepping out of my comfort zone this semester. I'm struggling with learning the material. It's something that is new to me. I'm not used to studying south Asia. -Why the British government opened fire on these innocent people. Before the midterm, he was actually failing and getting a "D" in both of my courses. He didn't have his books with him in the beginning. And he said, like, it was maybe financial problem. And he said, "I can't afford it." So I told him that, no, the books are available in the reserved section of the library. You have to come to the class with the textbooks. Everybody has challenges. -Like, his ideology, what he follows as a person. -And I asked him that, "Are you really serious? Because you're taking two of my courses, which require a lot of preparation. Because, apparently, you have no idea, I mean, about Indian history." Most of the students do not have an idea. So come and talk to me. Secular subjects were introduced in India first... And as soon as he realized that there is a danger that he might fail, he just quickly turned around, and now he's showing me that he's capable of hard work and is also capable of retaining the information. -That's one thing where I was reading the, like, articles and stuff about Gandhi in the reading. I start to do some comparing and contrast about his ideology, also about Jesus Christ. I'm a Christian. Reality, my GPA will suffer a little bit, you know. But, then again, you know, that's not guaranteed. It all depends how I do on the finals and my final paper. Well, yeah, definitely, I see where you're coming from. -You're working on campus, too? -Yes. -All right, so some of your work study funds are going to you, some are going to university account. -Yes. Most of it's going to my tuition account. I don't get that much back, so the rest, that's phone bill and laundry, and that's it. -Yeah, sure, sure. Your balance right now, I mean, that's what your tuition account is right now. -Okay. -It's got your financial aid, still a little bit of a balance due. So in addition to paying the $9,000, you'll also, because you have financed, you know, some of this education with student loans, you'll also have about $40,000 in student loan debt. That's what we will continue to try to find other non-loan resources to cover this balance, whether it comes out of your work study paycheck, you know, or we get some of these outside scholarships. We'll exhaust all of these other options first before we have to resort to increasing, you know, the student loans that you already have. -Okay. -All right? -I been applying to separate scholarships. I just got declined for, like, a lot of them -- all of them, so... So... Something like this is always a possibility for any student, especially for a student like myself who don't have, like, really outside resources. I don't have both of my parents. I don't have no mom and dad who's paying for college. Only person I have who's barely helping me is my grandmother. But she don't really have money. And I can't expect her to pay, you know, what I owe. -There is a first Amendment right... -Since I got here, always been under pressure. You know, I was under pressure my freshman year, sophomore year, junior year. And now here we are at my senior year. Last year of college, still under more pressure, and it's -- I just gotta be resilient. We talked about the Gongora Festival. I gotta take care of my responsibility in the classroom and just seek outside sources and put the rest in God's hand, so... He'll take care of it.

Train whistle blows

-I finished all my classes that I had incompletes in from last semester. And I passed all my summer courses. So as long as I keep a "C" average this year, I graduate on time. -As of today, as far as how much you've borrowed in student loans total, you've borrowed approximately, combined, subsidized and unsubsidized, $45,000. -$45,000? -And that's to take you through the end of the spring semester. -Okay, so that's just as a whole. -As a whole -- $45,000. So at the end of May... -That's when I have to start paying back. -That's what you'll have to start paying back. -Okay. -Get those -- -That's a lot.

Train whistle blows

-So where are things with school? How is school going? -Man, I'm ready to graduate.

Chuckles

That's it. I think that's every mind of a senior, especially when you do four years... -Yeah. -...at a school away from home. I'm just ready to get done, bro. I ain't got on drive no more. I'm just ready to go. -Well, you're doing it for a purpose, right, for a reason? -I'm doing it for a reason. Well, the purpose is to better my life. My plans was, when I got out of college, was to basically go and be a U.S. Marshal. I want to start the process of being a U.S. Marshal. But, no, I promised my high school that I would come back and give a year after I graduated to be a mentor to, you know, a group of guys, just like some guys was mentors to me. So that's what my first year is looking like. But after that, I'll see what doors open. -Sound like you got it all figured out. -Yeah, it all sounds good when it's talked about. But just getting it done is just where the real issue comes in. -Man, my senior year, this semester is going absolutely, like, phenomenal. I have all "As" right now. I learned from my past mistakes. I learned from my past failures. I'm starting my job hunt. -All the stuff that you wear with it is pretty much gonna go with everything. -Sweet. Everything is connecting. Everything is coming along. -It's very nice to meet you. -All right. -Good luck to you today. -Thank you. I appreciate it. -Thank you. -All right. -Are you interested in possibly doing an internship with us? -So we work specifically in education, but we look for people with strong service backgrounds in all areas. So you get paid a living stipend. You get health insurance. If you have any federal students loans, that can be put on hold during your term of service. At the end of the 10 months, you get $5,645 to use towards your education. So that's gonna be used to either pay off loans or continue on to grad school. -A lot of people are just looking for interns. -Interns, right. Nothing pays. -Nothing pays, no. -The only thing that was kind of legit was City Year so far. At least they give you your stipend. You're doing community service, and you get a chance to, like, go to a different state if you want, you know? Like, as much as I love Englewood, I love my community, but it's like I'm stuck there in a sense. If I don't go now, when I'm gonna go? -All right, folks, tassels on the right. Everybody got 'em? Make sure your tassels are nice and straight. One, two, three! And one more, here we go! -When I was in middle school, like, you know, I was not exposed to college. College was something that was like a fairy tale in my mind. But me being the first to graduate from college places the standards in my family. And they're pretty high. College is the goal now. High school is not the finishing. You know, becoming that role model that I wanted to set for my little brother. -Graduates, your success equation will be a function of your smarts and your hard work. But it will be a function of the relationships that you have in your life, your network. You must generate outstanding performance, especially if you look like you or me.

Bagpipes play

-Robert Lee Henderson III. Look at that smile, buddy. Congratulations. To be the first person to graduate out of my family is awesome.

Applause

My grandmother, she's always been there, helping me out, you know, through life. -Illiana Katerina Franciso, Cum Laude.

Cheers and applause

-Krishaun Curtis Branch.

Cheers and applause

-I need a moment. I need a moment. -Okay.

Indistinct talking

-I don't understand what all this crying is over. -The hard work. -You mean the hardly work? -Both of them. -He's our very first graduate from a four-year college, and it's incredibly appropriate that he's the guy that ends up having the earliest gradation, 'cause he's the guy who we struggled with so much! Congratulations on your accomplishment. We never doubted it for a minute. I have always believed in Krishaun. And every single member of the Urban Prep family has always believed in him. And, you know, we believe so firmly in him that we're ready to have him back at Urban Prep next year, working. And we're excited that he's interested in doing that, and we're excited that we'll be able to provide that opportunity. -Hey! How you doing, boy? -The moments that really tell Mr. Branch's story aren't -- it's not the moments that everybody celebrates. Right? It's not -- it's not the moment when he walks across the stage. It's the -- I'm sorry. It's the moment when he begins to believe. You know? And that's -- That's something that he does for himself. That -- that's a moment that happens, you know, at home, at night, before you go to bed. That's not the moment that the world is there to see, but those are the moments that make all the difference. Those are the moments when you do begin to believe in yourself and when you commit yourself to acting on that belief. -All right, come here, come here, come here, come here, come here, come here. Mm!

Indistinct talking

-We did it, man. We did it. -We didn't do it, you did it! -You guys believed in me. You guys didn't take a chance on us, I would not be here right now. -Mr. Henderson -- -Seriously. -That's true. But it also has an awful lot to do with how much you worked. And we're incredibly proud of you. -Thank you, sir. -You know that, right? -Thank you, sir, yes. It's emotional for me because I been through so much, and it was really hard. -Yeah. -And, like, be the first to basically do all this is, is just... It shows that if you really believe in yourself, if you work really hard, you can do anything. -That's true. -And sorry if I get emotional, but -- but... -I know. Now you got me tearing up. -I been through so much these four years, but I kept fighting, I kept fighting, I kept at it, persisted, and it got me here. So... -Well... Aw. -I just -- I wish my mom was here. -Hey, hey, brother, she's here. -

Crying

-You did it. -For my mom. -Damn! -I know, right? -Four years gone! -I been home for a week. It feels okay to be back. I just know I'm back for a while now, not just for a little minute, so... You know, here I am comfortable because I'm at home, but, you know, you can never be too comfortable, you know, outside. I hear gunshots around here all the time. Basketball court is not even a safe spot, and children have been shot up there. But things happen at the blurs moments. The stress of it is, you know, kind of high because you never know what can happen. I do have my brother out there. My mother walks through here on a daily basis. And, you know, I walk out here, so... Devante -- he knows right from wrong, and he also knows the consequences of, you know, some of those actions that you could get involved with. So I let him be him and do what he want to do and be with his friends. But I think he knows right from wrong, so, you know, I trust him enough not to, you know, do anything stupid. And if he do, I know I'd be the first to know. -It's official! I have the job, City Year, South Carolina, Columbia. It feels amazing! College graduate, you know, I got my job and... Man, I'm going to a different state! -Hi! -I am gonna miss my grandmother and Angelica. -Oh, my God! -His daddy was acting just like him, his sons. -Hmm. It's still not really hitting me that I'm leaving. I don't know why. Right now, I just feel like, you know, I'm on a journey, a journey to help out other people and establish myself as a better leader, better listener. I'll try to stay on top of my game, try to stay one step ahead of other people, just because, you know, all my life, I had to fight just to get where I'm at right now. I believe, you know, God gave me all the tools and resources to be successful at anything what I do. And I'm gonna put it in God's hands. So, hopefully, I got everything planned out. I guess we'll find out once I get down there. -Detectives are investigating an overnight homicide. This is in Burnside. A 17-year-old was shot and killed while riding his bike at 93rd and Dobson.

Police say around 11

30 last night, a silver sedan pulled up, shot the teenager, and then drove off. -No, I was here. I was his protector. I was his big brother, so he didn't have to go and look for acceptance nowhere else or approval from no one else. When I left here, little brother played video games and came back to a little brother that was in the streets. You know, just like me, he kept his home life and street life separate. He was out there hanging and more into the streets than what I thought he was. I feel like that happened because I left. I feel like he really didn't understand where I was going. I feel like I let him down when I left... 'cause I was all he knew. My and my mother told him plenty of times, you know, it's not as safe as you think it is. You just don't need to be over there. -Lord, we ask in the name of Jesus that you would comfort the family, that you would touch lives. We lift up Pam to you, and we lift up Krishaun to you. And, Lord, we just ask that you will keep your hands on them in the name of Jesus. Amen. -Amen. -Basically, there is no investigation as far as I know and my family knows. I honestly feel like they don't care. You know, I want to hurt somebody, but I can't. Because I'm not the only one I'm affecting. I can do better things for Tae Tae instead of, you know, going to find the person that killed him. 'Cause that's not gonna do anything for him or, you know, for me or my family, so... Now I'm just trying to live day by day. First, not burn any bridges, you know, that helped me get to this place. But, you know, just... trying to progress. -What is this person asking of you? What do you need to know in order to begin solving this problem? What operation can you use in order to solve this problem? -A lot of these kids, you know, I can relate to just because, you know, I can see some of the kids who are lost, they're afraid to ask questions. -I want to know what is three-fourths of 12. Does everybody see that? -First rule, to believe in yourself. Second rule, put the effort in. Other -- Last rule is be respectful. Be respectful of your peers. You know, I always make sure I share my story with these students, you know, and I try to relate to them the best -- the best way I can relate to them. I let them know that, you know, it's okay, you know, not to get math on the first try. It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to ask for help. -I not bad at math, I just don't like it. -Oh, I was bad at math, right? Took me all the way till my junior year of high school to learn how to divide. -One, two... -My goal always been to graduate from college and start giving back.

All cheer

Police say around 11

A lot of people had given a lot of things to me growing up. Especially my grandmother. She always been on the front lines to support me.

Cheerleaders cheering

Police say around 11

I hope I will be able to influence these kids. And I hope they can see me as a role model, as a positive figure in their life, and say, like, "Okay, Mr. Henderson was able to go to college. I know I'll be able to go to college, as well." I just gotta continue just to move forward and continue to do the right thing. -My girlfriend, Taylor, and I are expecting a baby. We've been dating around a year now. The baby being born, you know, close to Christmas and actually a day before Tae Tae's birthday is very special. You know, it still hasn't hit me yet, but I'm excited to, you know, bring someone else into this world and, actually, to be a father. You know, when I go back to Englewood, I been feeling like LeBron when he go back to Cleveland. To be the place that I am now, I feel like it's a great start for my journey through fatherhood. I'm financially stable enough to support me and my child and his mother. Walking across that stage, it was not only for my family, but I'm also doing it for, you know, my community and my 'hood. Neither my mom or my father graduated high school. I completed what people told me that I would never complete. -I've got him! -I feel that my son is actually starting many steps ahead of where I started.

Baby cries

Police say around 11

That was my goal, if I was to bring someone into this world, that they would be in a greater situation than I was. I feel that nothing is impossible now.