Dear College

Tayana Antoine (Fenway High 2023) describes the similarities between a teen mom and an older sister. How her dual role as caretaker for her younger siblings and as a maturing adult can be both stressful and rewarding.

Jenessa Otabor (Fenway High 2023) shares how an educational opportunity turned from stressful to rewarding; once she learned how to speak up for herself.

'Dear College' Season 1 Trailer

Though Rashad Brown-Mitchell was born and raised in Boston, his essay is a tale of two cities. One is the brochure Boston, its prosperous streets lined with historical buildings. The other story reveals Boston's neighborhoods, marred by a stark inequity. In this episode, Rashad shares how the volunteering he did throughout high school wasn’t just to help his community heal, but to help himself heal as his family coped with the loss of their home. His reflections on activism are moving, grounded, and ultimately, full of hope. Rashad's essay concludes Season 1 of Dear College. You can stay tuned for Season 2 by subscribing to the show, and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

When Catari Giglio was a junior at Boston's West Roxbury Academy, the School Department announced that they were going to close the high school. She and her classmates were told they’d have to transfer for their senior year, piling more chaos onto an already stressful time. But in the face of disappointment, Catari felt something ignite inside her: a fighting instinct. Her college essay shares how she pushed back against what she thought was an unfair decision, discovering a new passion in the process.

Fenway High senior Anthony Gonzalez (2020) wrote his college essay about "code-switching" -- alternating between two social and cultural norms -- and how he used it to navigate high school.

Salamata Barry was born in Guinea. When she was eight years old, she was forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation, a dangerous cultural custom that left her feeling powerless. Nearly a decade later, Salamata found herself at Fenway High, writing her college application. The resulting essay shows how she regained her voice, and how she plans to use it.

Growing up, Azadi’s uncle took him and his cousins to Breakfast IV Brothers: an organization dedicated to fostering connection and mentorship between Black men and boys through monthly breakfasts. In his college essay, Azadi writes how these meetings not only helped him to understand the issues facing his community—they also inspired him to take action toward a solution.

Lissa was raised to ignore the parts of herself that were Black, instead acknowledging only her Dominican heritage. But that changed when the foster care system put her with a family that was proud of their roots, forcing her to confront her own internalized biases about race. In her college essay, “Trips,” Lissa takes listeners on a journey of identity through art, literature, and hairstyles.