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Q&A with Milton

Q: When did you take classes at St. Louis Community College?

A: I was enrolled in the dual enrollment (DE) program at STLCC during my junior and senior years of high school and throughout each summer.

Q: Did you have a specific program you were preparing for while taking DE classes?

A: I did not pursue a particular program; instead, I used DE to gain exposure to the collegiate environment and rigor. I walked into my undergraduate experience with a good amount of college credit under my belt.

Q: What are you doing career-wise now, and what does your position entail?

A: I serve as the executive director of College Bound St. Louis, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and equipping students from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete higher education and enter successful careers. In my role, I see myself as the chief servant of the people who make up our organization. I work to ensure that our students, families, staff, and even supporters are seen, valued, resourced and working in harmony toward fulfilling College Bound's timely and necessary mission.

Q: What is your favorite thing about your current role?

A: The greatest joy in this role is the opportunity to lead and shepherd the people that make up College Bound. We have some of the most caring, thoughtful, brilliant individuals working for our organization, and I have the honor of collaborating with them each day. We do lots of laughing and celebrating amid some very difficult work. 

Q: How did your life journey lead you to where you are today?

A: I have had a winding road to get me to where I am, but each stop in my career has prepared me for this role. From my time as an admissions officer at one of the nation's leading research institutions to being a high school college counselor and serving as a principal (and even as a pastor for a short time), walking alongside people and helping them move from one place to the next in their lives has been a consistent thread in the tapestry of my career. I am so grateful!

Q: How would you say your chosen career path is “transforming” the community? 

A: I believe wholeheartedly in the power of ONE. If I can reach one student through my work, this one student can reach so many more. I don't necessarily see my job as being responsible for transforming any individual or community. On my own, I don't have the power or the ability. My job is simply to love and support those entrusted to me, hoping they will pass forward what they have been given. Little by little, we will hopefully see change. I'm patient and hopeful.

Q: What led you to take classes at STLCC? 

A: My high school provided the outlet for me to pursue the dual enrollment program during my junior year. They arranged my high school schedule around my college schedule at the Florissant Valley campus—the partnership between STLCC and my high school made it all seamless.

Q: How did STLCC support and prepare you for where you are today?

A: I can trace the discovery of my intellectual curiosity and voice to the classes I took at STLCC. I was always a very good student, but for the first time in my academic career, I learned to develop probing questions and sprouted the courage to express those questions in an articulate, thoughtful manner. As a junior in high school, this was all new to me. I am grateful I had the opportunity to learn these skills before I entered college as a full-time student.

Q: What was your favorite thing about attending STLCC?

A: I loved the freedom entrusted to me as a dual enrollment student. I was responsible for going back and forth between the campuses and ensuring my work was completed on time and in a sufficient manner. I sought my professors’ help during their office hours, and I was treated as a responsible adult. The freedom and the responsibility imparted to me made my time rich and left a lasting imprint on my life.

Q: Do you have a memorable class or professor you’d like to shout out?

A: My Psychology 101 professor was easily the most memorable. He is still one of my favorite professors out of the many I've had the privilege to learn from. He brought not just psychology but teaching to life for me. I raced to his class each week. The content was fascinating, but his presentation was unforgettable. 

Q: What advice would you give someone considering your career path?

A: The environment you work in and the people you surround yourself with are incredibly important to your success. Serve others well and wholeheartedly, but remember to take care of yourself as you do so. You can only give out that which you have taken in for yourself. And read! Read and continue to learn and grow forever—don't ever stop.

Q: What would you say to students considering community college?

A: Have a plan going into your time with the community college and find the right support immediately to help get you through it. The support is there and readily available, but you must pursue it rather than wait for it to come to you.