Yumarlis De Jesus details how she benefited from being part of CARE Program and an English-Editing, Writing, and Media major

Yumarlis De Jesus—she likes to be called Yumi—graduated from Florida State University at the end of the Spring 2023 semester with her bachelor’s degree in English-Editing, Writing, and Media and minors in communication and Hispanic marketing communication. She began taking classes with the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement Department in 2019.

De Jesus attended the New World School of the Arts, a public magnet high school and college in Miami, with dual-enrollment programs in the visual and performing arts. She graduated with a concentration in dance, and she was a member of the National English Honor Society and the National Honor Society for Dance Arts.

While at FSU, De Jesus was active with the Dominican Student Association and Student Alumni Association, and she worked for both the FSView & Florida Flambeau and FSU Her Campus. She is currently living in Miami.

Editor's note: English-Editing, Writing, and Media major Arianna Bekas conducted this interview with De Jesus in mid-April 2023.

What made you interested in majoring in English at Florida State University?

In high school I was part of the yearbook staff, so I knew I wanted to do something journalism related, and I feel like the editing, writing, and media track is the closest to that kind of major.

What has your time in the CARE Program been like for you?

Honestly, it has been great. I don't think that my experience at FSU would have been the same had I not joined CARE. They have many resources available to the students that we wouldn't have had otherwise, especially with most of us coming from low-income or first-generation in college families.

For example, CARE has tutoring for different majors, and they also have CARE-specific advisors who help you depending on the class you are in your studies. You have to go to general pop-in meetings with the ambassador assigned to you at the beginning of Summer Bridge, you have to meet with academic advisors, and you have to take part in career-advancing activities. They use all the campus resources, but specifically for CARE, because I don't think most of the student would have sought out those resources.

The CARE ambassadors are upper-class students who were part of the CARE program, right?

Yes, they are typically juniors and seniors, students just like us. They live in the dorms that were assigned to us during the Summer Bridge Program, so they are kind of like our Resident Assistants, but they are more than that. You can go to them for anything; they set up activities, they´ll walk you around campus, they´ll show you where your classes are located. They're kind of like a big brother or sister who will show you the ropes.

Are you bilingual and fluent in Spanish?

Yes, Spanish is my first language. My parents are Dominican, although I wasn´t born in the Dominican Republic. I spent my summers there, so the language came pretty easy to me. In fact, everyone in my family was born there except for me.

Has that ever felt isolating to you?

Not really, because I spent my summers there, and although my grandma lives in the U.S., she still has a house over there. When I would go for summers, I would either go to my dad's house or my grandma's house. I never felt off, and I'm also from Miami, so I never felt disconnected. If anything, coming to FSU, I was like, “whoa.” Very much a culture shock.

Did you feel like to move from Miami to Tallahassee was a hard adjustment at all?

My first year I felt a bit homesick, and I was going home probably every other weekend. It's kind of cheesy to say, but the CARE Program is this bubble at FSU but not in an exclusionary kind of way. People who are going through the same things you´re going through are right there.

We talked a little bit about the support CARE students get and the activities available to them. Can you think of something that has been most instrumental for you?

There's so many, honestly, but I want to say the Summer Bridge Program is the most impactful because it's the first time in a college environment for first-generation college students. Coming into college, I had no idea what to expect—I literally didn't know anything about college at all. I was excited but I had no idea what I what I was walking into. The Summer Bridge Program put all of us in a dorm together and that makes a really big difference. You're getting that time to actually talk to your ambassadors, go to the events, which they make as fun as possible because they know this is something that is not typical for us. It's honestly kind of like summer camp, in the best way possible.

Aside from that I would say the advising that CARE is good because I wouldn't talk about the same things to a regular advisor that I would say to a CARE advisor. They know what we're going through or what we might need help with, so their advice is the best. I know many students take advantage of the advising because the staff is really good.

What do you think has been most challenging as a first-generation student pursuing an English degree?

For most first-generation students, their parents say you should become a lawyer or a doctor. But my mom has been super supportive. When I tell other people my major, they are like “ohhhh, English.” Then when I tell him I want to go into journalism, it's even more of a side eye, for lack of a better term. Still, this is what I want to do and what I pursued, so those reactions never really got to me. I think parents, in general, just want their kids to go into surefire degrees, so definitely the expectations of parents I know sometimes even stops people from coming to school.

I would also say that depending on how advanced you are with the English language, that could be a barrier. Some people won't pursue an English degree because they don't think that they're smart enough.

What do you think the Department of English could do to encourage and support first- generation students to study English and to also help them move past any feelings of anxiety they might have?

I would say branching out and making it known how accessible the major is. The Instagram account does a good job of posting information, and I see flyers everywhere in the Williams Building. But maybe set up a table or information inside of the CARE offices because that's where most CARE students spend their time.

The department could network with CARE as well. The staff really cares about our success, and they really want to see us graduate, to get us across the finish line, because we deal with so many barriers. We encounter many situations that may deter us, but they definitely keep us in check and make sure that we get there.

I know that life coaches are also important for CARE students.

Life coaches are for your first or sophomore year, and I've told [CARE staff] that I wish they kept coaches every year. They're really helpful, just there to listen to whatever it is that you are going through, whether that is academic, although honestly, it is mostly personal. The life coaches see the importance of academics and that students need to graduate, but they want to know how students are doing psychologically and mentally.

With the Summer Bridge Program, you mentioned activities; could you talk about specific ones that you enjoyed?

At the beginning of the summer, for example, the ambassadors got us together and they had a pool party for us. That’s not necessarily academic, but it was more of a bonding experience. They also had CARE Day at the FSU Rez, so we had some freedom to enjoy ourselves.

During the fall and spring semesters, they keep you updated with more academic resources, while still letting you know if there's free pizza on the third floor of CARE or if there's a career fair going on or if there's something going on with the food pantry.

How has CARE been important for you to build friendships in college?

I know a lot of people struggle with that, but I made friends easily with CARE. The bulk of my friendships came from the program. That experience in the summer, being in the dorm, the first day you're moving in, everybody has their door open, you go downstairs, everybody there is a CARE student—you're bound to make friends one way or another.

Prior to participating in the Summer Bridge Program, had you been on a college campus?

I had toured another school aside from FSU, but living in Miami, all I had seen were community colleges and I took classes on a community college campus for my dual enrollment high school course. I would see the University of Miami, but I was never on that campus. I considered The New School [a private research university in New York City], and the same weekend that I had a tour there, I came back the next day and I toured FSU. It was very different, because New School is a small, liberal arts college and FSU is a state school, so I was like “Oh my God, this is this is not the same thing at all.” My decision came down to money. The New School gave me a great scholarship, but they weren't covering housing and housing in New York is ridiculous.

Have you had good luck with scholarships at FSU?

The CARE Program helps with CARE-specific scholarships, so that helps, especially if you're in state. They also match you with first-generation student grants or scholarships to make up your financial aid package. When I got my financial aid package, I knew what I was looking at, but I kind of didn't know what I was looking at. I just accepted the loans not knowing that I didn't need the loans because everything else would pay for my education. When I went to the CARE offices, they explained that to me.

I think a lot of first-generation students are also naturally independent, and while my mom is very Americanized, I'm still a first-generation American. Certain things are unfamiliar to my family, and I could not ask them about things, such as my financial aid package. The CARE staff does a really good job of explaining everything step by step.

Like the Free Application for Federal Student Aid?

Oh, I remember filling that out by myself and my mom was like, “Let me help,” and I said “No, it's fine, I'll just I'll just do it all myself.” Because I have this independent mentality. But I was filling out the FASFA, and I thought, “What is this? I have no idea what these numbers are.” I jokingly thought, “I don't want to get in trouble if I fill out anything wrong. I'm going to jail if I put down the wrong numbers.”

That's great that CARE helps you with the financial aspects.

They also pick out your classes for Summer Bridge, which are basically Summer B courses. They pick classes for you because they know you might not know what you need to pick, so when you arrive on campus, you already have two classes that you need to take. Everything is really set up for you.

You also have requirements that you must complete to keep your CARE grant. They offer tutoring, and in your first year you need 10 study hours a week, and they make sure you can get them in the CARE offices or in Strozier Library. I'm telling you, they really set you up for success; there's no way that you can fail.

Do you feel like those studying practices stayed with you as you've moved up?

They stuck with me, in general, because you realize that you're going to need to study to do well in classes. Having that practice of going to the study sessions, even if it may not be 10 hours a week after those requirements, does help structure you in terms of figuring out what study habits work best for you.

Why do you think it's important to have first-generation students studying and getting degrees in English fields?

Because it's rare—it's very rare. I follow a lot of Hispanic journalists, but even that number is pretty small. I can only speak for the Hispanic side because that's my identity. Aside from Spanish networks, like Telemundo, it's rare to see Hispanic journalists anywhere in the news. They exist, so I feel like it's important to have Hispanic people in English majors so they can inspire first-generation students and to make it known that it's possible. Growing up, I saw Hispanic news anchors, but that's broadcast, a different sector. With more people of color joining the English department, hopefully because of this interview, that will change.

What has been your favorite part about studying English at FSU?

My favorite thing about studying English is that once you are in the department, the resources to succeed are available. I get emails from my advisors all the time about anything that's happening, either about a career fair or a panel or anything going on in the English department.

Studying abroad was a great experience, and I did the Editing, Writing, and Media Program in Valencia, which gave me a look into what it would be like to be a journalist. The experience solidified for me that this is the field that I want to pursue or, at the very least, something similar. The co-instructors Susan Hellstrom and Jack Clifford did a great job of taking us on field trips, talking to us about their own personal experiences in the field. Hearing that perspective from someone who teaches at FSU was great, because you can ask them questions and get tips.

How have your studies in English at FSU helped you to develop both as an individual and as a student?

I have become a well-rounded person since coming to college, and I attribute a lot of that to the English department. The classes I took within this department were eye-opening. Granted, those were the classes I chose to take, but I enjoyed the conversations, and it's great to hear everybody else's perspectives.

If I had chosen another major, I wouldn't have been able to get those worldly perspectives, even if it's one that I don't agree with, which is important as well. As someone who pursued English, I’ve improved my writing skills, my editing skills, and everything else in an academic sense.

Arianna Bekas is an English major on the editing, writing, and media track, with a minor in political science. She graduated at the end of the Summer 2023 semester.

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