Khadijat Badejo, BSN, RN, CCRN
Missouri Southern State University
Ruskin High School
"the sky isn't the limit, It's only the beginning."
"Going to college was something most people knew of but didn’t have the means to pursue."
"Continuing to educate yourself improves today, tomorrow and gives those who don’t believe they have the opportunity an opportunity."
Ruskin High School
"the sky isn't the limit, It's only the beginning."
"Going to college was something most people knew of but didn’t have the means to pursue."
"Continuing to educate yourself improves today, tomorrow and gives those who don’t believe they have the opportunity an opportunity."
Below, Khadijat reflects on her high school and collegiate journey, commenting on the life lessons she's learned and how she found the motivation to achieve her goals.
“‘Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can. ’ -Paul Toumier. Every chance my mother could get, she reminded me that 'the sky is the limit’. As I’ve graciously grown into my adult years, I’ve realized, the sky isn't the limit, it’s only the beginning. Reflecting back on my high school years the school I attended was known in the news and not for great sports and being recipients of high standard awards but fights and poor behavior from a few of my peers. This school was clearly funded less than other schools especially the predominantly white schools in the surrounding areas. We were constantly being hawked by local news stations as if we had nothing more to offer, thus limiting the amount of support the school received by the public. Going to college was something most people knew of but didn’t have the means to pursue. Scholarship opportunities were there but the importance and accessibility of these scholarships were not as important as they were are higher funded high schools. This leaves students coming from a similar background or schools at a disadvantage. Education is already hard to access but so were the funds.
I understood the potential I had regardless of the environment I was blessed with, but never allowed that to shine. I was an individual without knowledge of what it took to get to the places I had posted on my vision board. If only I knew what I know now. Fast forward through high school and up until my sophomore year of college, a conversation I had with a mentor changed my view on what was required of me to accomplish my goals. My vision that was once distorted became clear. It was grind season. The grades I had were subpar from the grades I needed to be accepted into any nursing program. I spent a semester taking 21 credit hours in hopes of reaching my goals. This moment is when I reminded myself that anything was possible. I was smart, but my work ethic needed attention. I spoke with advisors of nursing programs who advised me to change my path, or try to pursue an associate's degree after spending 3 years in college. That was not an option. After late nights, early mornings, multiple nursing entrance qualification exams and applications... I finally was accepted into nursing school. Throughout my nursing career I made an effort to change what I could within the program. I was one of three minorities in my program and made an effort to represent what my peers needed from the program. In May of 2019, I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Science of Nursing. I then went on to work in a mixed Medical Intensive Care Unit/ Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. Throughout the last past year of starting my career, I was able to represent the ICU Unit Practice Council and collaborate with many medical professionals in attempts to improve patient outcomes. This constant desire of mine to improve and educate myself pushed me to pursue additional certifications. As my desire for education continues to grow, I find myself finding other ways to expand my knowledge and support communities who look like me. Education is something that I am very passionate about, I consider myself a forever student. ’Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving the community and world better than you found it’- Marian White Edelman. Obtaining an education is extremely important for the outcome of the community around us. The world is very diverse and continues to diversify. We need people in the minority group to seek these opportunities in education. This will help improve our community, the work place and out comes in certain settings for the minority population. As a nurse, I have seen the relief of a patient or a family member of minority decent when they see that someone who looks like them is their advocate and care taker. It makes a huge difference. We are needed in these settings for the preservation of our people. Continuing to educate yourself improves today, tomorrow and gives those who don’t believe they have the opportunity an opportunity.”
Q: Did you feel like there was a level playing field when applying to competitive scholarships?
“When applying to scholarships and educational opportunities I don’t believe there was an even playing field. Requirements such as standardized exams which are not curated for the minority community often time were required during the application process automatically placing students who came from a background similar to mine at a disadvantage. Advisors do their best to engage students with the best opportunities but they can only give from what they have.”
Q: Do you think primary-secondary school funding correlates with collegiate opportunities/availability? If so, how?
“There is a huge correlation with primary-secondary school funding that reflects in the amount of resources, and scholarship opportunities given to a chosen high school. Unfortunately, some schools that are funded and receive more positive attention in the media are those who are continuously given private scholarships/grants and introduced to mentors who will set them up for success. These leaves schools with less funding to seek outside opportunities that may a lot more competitive and less funded.”
I understood the potential I had regardless of the environment I was blessed with, but never allowed that to shine. I was an individual without knowledge of what it took to get to the places I had posted on my vision board. If only I knew what I know now. Fast forward through high school and up until my sophomore year of college, a conversation I had with a mentor changed my view on what was required of me to accomplish my goals. My vision that was once distorted became clear. It was grind season. The grades I had were subpar from the grades I needed to be accepted into any nursing program. I spent a semester taking 21 credit hours in hopes of reaching my goals. This moment is when I reminded myself that anything was possible. I was smart, but my work ethic needed attention. I spoke with advisors of nursing programs who advised me to change my path, or try to pursue an associate's degree after spending 3 years in college. That was not an option. After late nights, early mornings, multiple nursing entrance qualification exams and applications... I finally was accepted into nursing school. Throughout my nursing career I made an effort to change what I could within the program. I was one of three minorities in my program and made an effort to represent what my peers needed from the program. In May of 2019, I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Science of Nursing. I then went on to work in a mixed Medical Intensive Care Unit/ Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. Throughout the last past year of starting my career, I was able to represent the ICU Unit Practice Council and collaborate with many medical professionals in attempts to improve patient outcomes. This constant desire of mine to improve and educate myself pushed me to pursue additional certifications. As my desire for education continues to grow, I find myself finding other ways to expand my knowledge and support communities who look like me. Education is something that I am very passionate about, I consider myself a forever student. ’Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving the community and world better than you found it’- Marian White Edelman. Obtaining an education is extremely important for the outcome of the community around us. The world is very diverse and continues to diversify. We need people in the minority group to seek these opportunities in education. This will help improve our community, the work place and out comes in certain settings for the minority population. As a nurse, I have seen the relief of a patient or a family member of minority decent when they see that someone who looks like them is their advocate and care taker. It makes a huge difference. We are needed in these settings for the preservation of our people. Continuing to educate yourself improves today, tomorrow and gives those who don’t believe they have the opportunity an opportunity.”
Q: Did you feel like there was a level playing field when applying to competitive scholarships?
“When applying to scholarships and educational opportunities I don’t believe there was an even playing field. Requirements such as standardized exams which are not curated for the minority community often time were required during the application process automatically placing students who came from a background similar to mine at a disadvantage. Advisors do their best to engage students with the best opportunities but they can only give from what they have.”
Q: Do you think primary-secondary school funding correlates with collegiate opportunities/availability? If so, how?
“There is a huge correlation with primary-secondary school funding that reflects in the amount of resources, and scholarship opportunities given to a chosen high school. Unfortunately, some schools that are funded and receive more positive attention in the media are those who are continuously given private scholarships/grants and introduced to mentors who will set them up for success. These leaves schools with less funding to seek outside opportunities that may a lot more competitive and less funded.”