March 21, 2019 Page 3
Op-Ed
Who Belongs in College?
By Brock Walsh
Next month I’ll board a redeye with 50 high
school juniors from South Los Angeles, beginning
a nine-day trip to 10 East Coast colleges.
There, these new recruits to our non-profit,
College Match, will try to picture themselves
among the incoming freshmen. They are all highachieving,
low-income, first-generation kids of
color. The hyphenates, as one student put it.
Superheroes, I say.
The recent admissions bribery scandal won’t
be on their minds, I suspect. Their worry is
something different -- impostor syndrome: that
even if accepted by one of the elite institutions
we visit, they will eventually be outed as frauds
by their more affluent and predominantly white
classmates. Despite their being every bit as smart
and arguably more resilient, it’s a fear that nags
at nearly every student in our program. By the
time these juniors begin college in the fall of
2020, I worry that time will have erased any
memory of Hollywood celebrities buying spots
in the freshman class. It will once again be minority
students at whom fingers are pointed for
being undeserving. Business as usual.
Four years ago, as an admissions officer at
Harvard College, I was tasked with reading
applications from schools all over Los Angeles,
public and private. I read essays from the children
of affluent west-siders and the children of
East LA housekeepers and gardeners, kids very
much like the ones I now counsel. Given the
ever-increasing number of applications, the odds
of admission were abysmally low and remain
so. However, a few amazing candidates, from
the east side and west, were offered spots. And
each year a few were students from College
Match. I vowed to myself to keep an eye on the
admitted first-gen kids (I’d been one myself 40
years before), meeting them for coffee or a walk
on the Cambridge Common. The transition can
be difficult and they appreciated our conversations.
Maybe as much as I did. But without
exception, they struggled with a persistent fear
that they were looked upon as impostors. With
time, and some real effort from the university,
they grew in confidence. They would succeed
and graduate. But the fear never left them.
In 2015, my wife and I returned to Santa
Monica and I joined College Match. I loved
working in college admissions, but find the
closer connection with students more to my
liking. Playing some small part in their success
is a bit like witnessing the miracle of flight.
I joined a dozen dedicated counselors, each
assigned to one or more of 31 schools in South
LA. There we guide students through the admissions
process and provide SAT prep they
would otherwise find unaffordable. From early
on, we encourage them as writers to express
themselves honestly and clearly, to permit
themselves to dream extravagantly. Then we
push them hard.
It’s a testament to the durability of dreams that
they dream at all. Their schools are located in some
of Los Angeles’ bleakest neighborhoods. Their
stories reveal that they have already lived through
more hardship and abuse than most people will
endure in a lifetime. And yet dream they do.
If only we can get them to feel like they deserve
it. It can take a long time. Our organization is
led by Erica Rosales. Born in East LA, she
attended Wellesley before the use of hyphens
became the norm. The combination of her pluck
and pure luck put her in contact with a Wellesley
rep and, just months later, she flew on an airplane
for the first time. She made the journey,
and the transition to college, completely on
her own. Her parents saw the campus exactly
once, at her graduation. When she speaks to
parents and students, she tells her story without
embellishment because it needs none. She
returned to East LA, becoming the community
organizer she set out to be years before. She
started a school. And today she’s executive
director of the program founded in 2003 by
Harley Frankel, who after leading the head
start program, saw an uneven playing field
for minority students and started leveling it.
But she admits she was not immune from the
same self-doubt that besets our current students.
When we can provide deserving kids with
the opportunities enjoyed by more affluent
students, they can achieve whatever they set
out to do. Our College Match alumni have
proven it. They are now full-time professionals:
doctors, lawyers, community organizers
and teachers. And each year as we graduate
another class of Wonder Women and X Men,
they come back to the banquet room at Luminarias
in Monterey Park to deliver a message:
You belong. You deserve it. Believe it.
Brock Walsh is a senior college counselor at
College Match in LosAngeles, CA. He is also
a former songwriter and admissions officer at
Harvard College. •
Classifieds
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be credited for the first time the error appears. No credit will be issued for an amount greater than the cost of the advertisement.
Beware: Employment offers that suggest guaranteed out-of-state or overseas positions may be deceptive or unethical in nature. If
you have any doubts about the nature of a company, contact the local office of the Better Business Bureau, (213) 251-9696. Herald
Publications does not guarantee that the advertiser’s claims are true nor does it take responsibility for those claims.
Publisher and strong interpersonal
skills.Please send resume to
pastoresumc@sbcglobal.net.
Room Wanted
I have lived in a house in El Segundo
for 14 years that is being sold. I am at
Sea or out of town 25% or more of the
time. Require off-street parking when
out of town. If you have a room not
being used, call Skip 310.982.3039.
Wanted
WANTED. Collectibles/antiques.
Typewriters, sewing machines,
military, silver, Japan, records,
stamps, coins, jewelry, Chinese,
ANYTHING. Buy/Sell/Trade. We sell
for you on EBAY. Studio Antiques, El
Segundo. 310.322.3895.
Employment
Radio Repair Trainee/Asst. FT or
PT. Requires good manual dexterity
& use of PC/spreadsheets. Will
train. Some electronics experience
or ham radio license helpful. Work
in El Segundo shop. Great job
for a student or retiree. $14/hr.
radiodecades@gistnet.com
Apartment For Rent
Large 2 BD, 1 BTH, Upstairs
quiet 4 unit building. NEWLY
REDECORATED, 1 CAR GARAGE,
LAUNDRY Facilities. NO PETS.
$2,350/MTH. 310.540.3605.
Employment
Part-time Sales. Looking for
motivated part-time workers. Inside
sales: work from home and make
sales calls. 15% commission on all
sales. Outside sales: territories are
Torrance and El Segundo. Includes
walking and interacting with business
owners. 20% commission on all
sales. Seniors and students welcome.
Send resume to management@
heraldpublications.com.
Employment
HAIRSTYLISTS. Commission
or renters wanted at a beautiful
remodeled salon which attracts new
Silicon Beach residents. Experience
w some clientele recommended.
Hq-salon.com. 310.994.3151.
Employment
Management Analyst wanted by El
Segundo, CA area shipping company.
Conduct studies & design systems
to streamline & strategize. Assist
management to maximize efficiency
& productivity. Send resume by mail
only to: H. Wiland, ClearFreight,
Inc., 1960 E. Grand Ave, Ste 700,
El Segundo, CA 90245.
Employment
El Segundo United Methodist Church
seeks part-time Administrative
Assistant with general knowledge of
business office operations. Requires
experience with Microsoft Word and
To appear in next week’s paper,
submit your Classifed Ad by
Noon on Tuesday.
Late Ads will incur
a $20.00 late fee.
Hawthorne Happenings
News for the City of Good
Neighbors from an Old Guy
Named Norb Huber
Bunny Breakfast – Earth
Day – Service Providers
Faire
There will be three events combined
into one big party on Saturday, April 13th at
Hawthorne Memorial Park. You will want
to register your child to attend the Bunny
Breakfast by stopping by the Parks and
Recreation Office inside of the Memorial
Center. It’s a great family event full of food
and fun. Following the breakfast the party
will continue out on the grass of the park
where there will be vendors and information
booths that will celebrate Earth Day while
providing great information to the residents
of Hawthorne. Whether you own your own
home or rent, the event will be beneficial.
Mark your calendar for April 13th and head
on over to Memorial Park.
Open Studios
The Hawthorne Arts Complex will be hosting
an open Studios program this Sunday,
March 24th from 2-6 p.m. It is located at
13040 Cerise Avenue in Hawthorne. The
public is welcome to enjoy the great art
being created right here in our city.
Pancake Breakfast
Last Saturday, March 16th was a great
day at the annual Hawthorne Historical Society
Pancake Breakfast held the Hawthorne
Museum located at Jim Thorpe Park. There
was close to 100 people who came together
to converse about the good ol’ days and
eat the hot cakes. Many HHS Cougartown
friends came from out of town to meet up
at the event. Thanks to Loreta Hagerty for
organizing the food. It was just a nice day
all around.
Hawthorne Parks and
Recreation Foundation
The Foundation’s annual golf
tournament will be held this year on
Monday, April 15th at Industry Hills
Golf Course. Call Dick Huhn for more
information at: 310-643-9157. If you
are a single golfer or have a foursome,
the tournament could always accommodate
more golfers. If you participate, you are
supporting a great cause. The Foundation
has chosen to refurbish the dance floor over
at the Betty Ainsworth Center this year with
the proceeds from the tournament. The
volunteers that serve on the golf committee
work year around to organize this great event.
Hall of Fame Inductees
to be Announced
The Historical Society has set May 11th
for their annual Hawthorne Hall of Fame
banquet. Another great group of individuals,
businesses and organizations will be
honored for their contributions to the City of
Good Neighbors. The banquet will be held
over at the Ayres Hotel and it looks to be a
good evening to celebrate Hawthorne. More
information will be forthcoming.
Why? Why not?
I made it down to Hawthorne this past
weekend, saw a lot of friends, ate a few
pancakes, played a round of golf, enjoyed
the sunny weather, walked six miles down on
the Strand, got stuck in traffic, had breakfast
at Piggies, and of course enjoyed a cold one
or two with my brewery owner friend from
church. I also heard that there are a few
of you who question why I still write this
column. A few comments: “He doesn’t even
live in Hawthorne”. “All he talks about is
beer and God”. “He doesn’t prooooof read
his writing”. Whoever you are that called
See Hawthorne Happenings, page 5
Calendar of Events
Deadline for Calendar items is the prior
Thursday by noon. Calendar items are $1
per word. Email listings to marketing@
heraldpublications.com. We take Visa and
MasterCard.
THURSDAY, MAR. 21
• Chess for All Ages, 4:30 PM., free, Crenshaw
Imperial Branch Library, 11141
Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-5403.
• Crafts for the Family, 4:00 PM. – 5:00
PM., Inglewood Public Library, 101 W.
Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
FRIDAY, MAR. 22
• Teen Club, 4:00 PM. – 5:00 PM., Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester
Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• STEAM for Kids, 3:00 PM. – 4:00 PM.,
Ages 8 & up, Inglewood Public Library, 101
W. Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
SATURDAY, MAR. 23
• Family Story Time, 1:00 PM. – 2:00 PM.,
free, Inglewood Public Library, 101 W.
Manchester Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
• Mayan Clay Masks Art Activity, 2:00
PM. – 3:30 PM., Hawthorne Library,
12700 Grevillea Ave, Hawthorne, Call:
310-679-8193.
MONDAY, MAR. 25
• All South Bay LA Libraries CLOSED in
Observance of Cesar Chavez Day
TUESDAY, MAR. 26
• Brick Building, 3:30 PM. – 5:00 PM., free,
Crenshaw Imperial Branch Library, 11141
Crenshaw Blvd., Call: 310-412-5403.
• Chess for Adults, 6:00 PM., free, Inglewood
Public Library, 101 W. Manchester
Blvd., Call: 310-412-5380.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
– Nelson Mandela
See Calendar of Events, page 4