CARE advisor guided Joan Nygbah from STEM to English major

By Arianna Bekas

As a first-generation Florida State University student born in West Africa, Joan Nygbah moved to the United States from Ghana in 2006, when she was 2 years old. Throughout her life, she has navigated a relatively unknown culture and environment, so college, for her, was just another uncharted territory she would have to adapt to in order to succeed.

With help from FSU’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement Department, though, Nygbah would not have to adjust to college life on her own.

“Because we are first-generation students and because we don’t have other family members to guide us on what college is about, CARE helps you and shows you the process of what college is and how to stay on track,” she says.

Nygbah is now a sophomore at FSU, majoring in English-Editing, Writing, and Media, but when she first enrolled, she was studying biological sciences. As a STEM major, Nygbah felt that she was “living someone else’s dream,” explaining that many first-generation students like herself are “pushed into a STEM environment” because it implies success for their future.

When she entered CARE’s Summer Bridge Program, however, she realized she could be successful without having to major in STEM.

“Once I got into the CARE Program in the summer, I spoke to my advisor, and she told me about going into an exploratory program if I was having doubts so I can see all the different kinds of majors and find out what I really like,” Nygbah says. “That’s really what pushed me to be in English.”

Although that recommendation by her CARE advisor gave Nygbah the motivation she needed to pursue a major in English, she has always had a love for writing, from her childhood to today.

“When I was young, my mom would have these assignments to do, where I would write two stories and a poem,” she says. “She didn't know that she was molding me into a writer, but she was.”

Nygbah had always liked the idea of attending FSU for her undergraduate degree. Her decision to come to Tallahassee from her hometown of Ft. Lauderdale was solidified when she found out about the CARE program from her friends. She recalls thinking about how great of an opportunity CARE is for first-generation students.

And a great opportunity it has been for Nygbah. She attributes her successful adjustment to college life to an integral aspect of CARE, her experience with Summer Bridge, a seven-week program that assists students in the transition from K-12 classes to college.

Nygbah explains that during the program she and other participants lived in dorms, ate at the Suwannee Dining Room, using provided meal cards, and attended classes. They were also given designated study hours in Strozier Library, where CARE Ambassadors, students who also are in CARE and who participated in Summer Bridge, would check in to make sure they were on track academically and feeling good mentally.

“The whole summer program was a really big help in adjusting,” Nygbah says. “I was able to be more social and connect with people that had the same values and experiences that I did.”.

CARE assigns students a life coach as an additional means of helping students succeed in college. Nygbah says she met with her life coach once every two weeks for one-on-one meetings, where they would discuss not only her academic progress but also have meaningful personal conversations that offered her support when she needed it most.

“I never really had that one-on-one talk with someone about how I am doing academically or personally in my life, so having that in college was really helpful to me, seeing someone that cares and is willing to help me,” Nygbah says.

Nygbah’s self-defined “drastic jump” from taking biological sciences courses to being an English major has not been free from struggle, even with the support of her family and those in the CARE Department. She grapples with imposter syndrome, anxious feelings of self-doubt or thoughts of being a fraud when it comes to personal success.

“I say to myself ‘Am I actually capable of doing something like this, something that's so much more creative and freeing?’” she says. “I get kind of scared, like am I as creative, or am I that knowledgeable to enter this kind of career field or this type of major? Especially when I don’t have anyone around me that’s in English, or in any type of liberal arts field.”

While Nygbah maneuvers through the conditions of her imposter syndrome, she points out that surrounding herself with people who are continuously pushing her can quell some of her concerns.

“I try to keep pushing myself because if I have made it here so far, what’s stopping me from making it further in life,” Nygbah says.

Nygbah’s English studies have been transformative for her as both a student and as an individual. She was incredibly unsure of herself as a first-year student, and she felt that she “took a step back” when entering college because she no longer was certain about what she wanted to do.

The year she spent in the exploratory program showed her who she was as a person, she says, and helped her decide what she wanted to do with her future career.

In high school in Ft. Lauderdale, Nygbah took a journalism class, and she discovered an interest in writing news and feature articles. That is when Nygbah found that she enjoyed expressing herself through writing.

“I just realized that I really wanted to write and express my thoughts and be a representation for other people who don’t have voices or who aren't able to express those thoughts on paper,” she says.

Through the help of the CARE program members, and Nygbah’s own experiences as an English-Editing, Writing, and Media student, she has found her way back to her true interests.

Nygbah admits that she once saw being a college student as something that she had to do, but now being in that role is what she wants to do. In fact, she wants to be that person so much that she plans to pursue a graduate degree in journalism after her time as an undergraduate at FSU.

“Now, I am so excited for my future after I graduate, and I am excited to write and express myself through my writing,” Nygbah says.

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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