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(music fades in)
(I Can I Will logo)
I Can I Will is an African-American
and Latino male EOP retention and graduation program.
I came up here to San Jose State by myself. I didn't know anybody, so
I was a little nervous about that, you know, having no friends,
having to meet new people. My perception of the university was just that
it was really complicated, the expectations are a lot higher.
Also, there's a lot more people here, so I felt like there's
- it's a little bit more like you're 'one in many' people on campus.
It's pretty much a program that is
based specifically for African-American and Latino males,
and it's a program designed for providing guidance to them,
helping them by giving them support and also by
helping them feel a sense of belonging. I Can I Will, they helped me
meet new people who are in the same situation as me, they took me around
to the different buildings and let me know about them.
We try to make them aware of the different events we have on campus, or even the
events EOP hosts throughout the semester. The I Can I Will initiative pairs incoming
African-American and Latino males with Peer Mentors.
When we meet with the mentees, we go over their coursework for the semester,
and we also set goals for them to achieve throughout the semester.
I try to get to know them, to have them share where they came from,
just to find connections between us and be able to connect.
We get to talk about things that are happening
on campus, you know? That's what I really appreciated.
Aside from the fact that he's a great guy, so
I feel like I have a friend on campus.
I'm able to see students grow throughout the semester,
I've had mentees that are really shy,
but now they've opened up more. I have a mentee that's now a leader
of an organization on campus. I'm proud to be a part of the I Can I Will
program, because it allows African-American males and Latino males
to be more successful, not just within the classroom, but also
outside of the classroom as well.
If you need any help they're always there for you. You meet a ton of new people.
I just feel really comfortable in it and it's great. The one thing that we can all relate
to is that we all came from families and backgrounds where this dream
wasn't achieved, you know? The dream of a having a college education,
of building some wealth and success.
So the fact that we're all in it together, that's so cool.
It's really exciting to be part of that.
(EOP logo)
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