“In high school, the teachers would spoon feed you and tell you what you needed to study. But in college, it’s way different. The instructors don’t hold your hand like that. They expect you to read the book and be prepared when you come to class. My first semester was really hard. This is my third semester, and I’m doing much better.

“When he was around, my twin brother, Marcellious, would help me study sometimes. He spends a lot of time studying, and he knows how to do it the right way. He’s in Dallas now taking engineering classes. I miss him. But with him not here, I have to take more responsibility for myself. He’s not going to be there with me all my life. So it’s time for me to step up. I have to figure it out and motivate myself. I think I’m making the transition pretty well.”

Do you keep in touch with your brother?
“Yeah. We’ll call or text each other and talk about stuff. I can trust him. He can trust me. My brother is still my best friend.”

— Edmeade Prentice

The post Making college transition without twin by his side appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’m just a country bumpkin from Arkansas. I grew up poor, just like a lot of the people I teach who are going to school with help from different assistance programs. They’re trying to make a better life for themselves. My objective is for them to be successful, to get a good job and to be able to move up in life.

“I’ve been there and done that. When you’re 71 years old, there are lots of life experiences to pull from. I roofed houses and worked on a chicken debeaking crew. I worked in egg processing plants and mobile home factories. I managed grocery stores and was a salesman for E.J. Brach and Sons Candy Co., where I drove around in a brand new station wagon wearing a white shirt and tie every day. But it didn’t pay enough. I went to work as a plant operator because I needed to make more money.

“These days, there’s nothing else around here you can do that pays the kind of money this petrochemical industry pays. Our department head, Dr. (Charles) Thomas, likes to call this area the Silicon Valley of the petrochemical industry.”

— Paul Chance

The post ‘Country bumpkin’ points way to petrochemical industry appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I graduated from the University of Colorado. I majored in political science and minored in sociology. I thought I would be going to law school. I tried to prepare for the LSAT, but it just didn’t seem feasible at the time. I have two little girls, which made it really difficult trying to study and focus. Plus, my husband was always working, so it was just me with the kids most of the time. It was just a whole bunch of life.

“At first, I had some regrets. I wished that some things were different. But now I’m studying equipment and instrumentation, learning how to become an operator in one of the local plants. It’s all really interesting to me. I like to know how things work. The way this program is set up allows me to dig deep into the processes and how every detail is so important.

“My dad worked in a plant in Colorado, and I remember going to work with him when I was little. I used to tell him I was going to do something like this one day. He would say, ‘No. You need to get a nice little job and work in an office.’ But I’m kind of like a tomboy, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to work with my hands. Although I didn’t pursue it at first, I’m happy things have worked out the way they have.”

— Jessica Adefisayo

The post Career plans take a turn to something familiar appeared first on The Baytown Project.