“I’m just not sure if college is going to be your pathway.”
When it comes to education, it is one thing that connects nearly all of us, yet no two journeys look alike. For some, the barriers are external: a teacher’s doubt, financial challenges, family obligations. For others, the most prominent obstacle is the voice in their own head telling them they aren’t ready, capable or meant for higher education.
This week, at the Cleveland Goes to College Fair, students, educators and professionals shared their stories. Different backgrounds. Different paths. Different dreams. Yet each story carried a common thread: the belief that growth happens when we push beyond what we thought was possible.
These are the faces of education.
Marietta
“Raising a family is what made me pause my college journey.”
For a long time, Marietta didn’t see college in her future. It wasn’t that higher education was out of reach. She knew it was an option. She just wasn’t sure it was an option for her.
Life moved forward. She raised a family. College remained on pause. But eventually, she decided to return. She began at Cuyahoga Community College before earning her degree from Kent State University.
Today, she sees the impact of that decision everywhere. “Me going to college has changed me financially, emotionally and lets me help others,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to be a helper and give advice to students, but now I’m really doing that.”
Her advice to students who are unsure about taking the next step? “Take your time. Don’t overload yourself and go at your own pace.”
For Marietta, education was about finding the right pace, even if it wasn’t the traditional route.
Clarissa
“I questioned my writing skills because I had her words in the back of my head.”
A teacher’s comment followed Clarissa long after she left high school: “I’m just not sure if college is going to be your pathway.”
But Clarissa was committed. She enrolled at Eastern Michigan University and later earned a graduate degree from Florida A&M University. Even then, self-doubt lingered. “Once I got to college, I questioned a lot about my abilities,” she says. “I questioned my writing skills because I had those words in the back of my head.”
What happened next changed her perspective. She discovered that ability isn’t permanent and skills can be developed. “I learned I can develop my writing skills. So much so, that I’m a public speaker now, and I’m very comfortable with that.”
Along the way, she found something else: community. “When things got hard, it wasn’t just hard for me. It was hard for other students, too. We were able to find resources together and develop our weaknesses into strengths.”
To Clarissa, college extends far beyond academics. “I believe college is learning about yourself, where you fit, your purpose in life, learning the resources and support to get you there. That is truly the college journey.”
Her message to students facing doubt is simple: “If you ever get pushback that you cannot do something, look deep within yourself. You know your own strengths.”
And if you need a reminder? “Look in the mirror and tell yourself those words.”
Deborah
“Just get me a backpack. I’m here.”
For some, college decisions are agonizing. For Deborah, it took one campus visit. As she walked through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, watching students move between classes, gathering for rallies and participating in campus organizations, something clicked.
She turned to her father and said: “Just get me a backpack. I’m here.” She laughs at the memory now, but the feeling remains vivid.
“When you know, you know.” Today, as a sociology professor at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, she describes college as something beyond a degree. “College is a hope structure and where dreams, visions and passions can be inhabited. It’s a wonderful place to find yourself and who you’re meant to be.”
What she saw on that campus all those years ago was possibility and what she felt was belonging. “I was ready to plant my feet in new soil and thrive.”
Quintin
“I’m excited about the potential I have. It’s only up from here.”
While many attendees at the college fair reflected on journeys already traveled, Quintin is standing at the beginning of his. The Cleveland School of the Arts student spent the day exploring colleges, talking with representatives and imagining what comes next.
“I’m looking for somewhere I can call home, cultivate my skills and grow in multiple areas,” he says. For Quintin, college represents an opportunity not only to learn, but to evolve.
“I want to develop my mindset. I want to mature. I want to grow.” More than anything, he wants to discover his voice.
“I want to find my voice,” he says. “We’re told that we have the tools we need to grow, and part of that is putting us in positions where we have to.” His outlook is refreshingly simple. “It’s only you you’re competing against.”
It’s the kind of perspective that can sometimes get lost amid application deadlines, acceptance letters and career plans. Quintin hasn’t reached the destination yet. But listening to him, it’s clear he’s ready for the journey. “I’m excited about the potential I have. It’s only up from here.”
From first-generation graduates to seasoned professors, from college representatives to students just beginning to imagine their futures, every person at the Cleveland Goes to College Fair had a different story.
Some paths were interrupted. Some were doubted. Some began with a single campus visit. Others are only just beginning. But every story pointed toward the same truth: education is not a single experience. It’s a collection of journeys, each shaped by challenges, change and hope.
These are the faces of education.