…Come celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed. — Lucille Clifton
Good evening my neighbors!
Welcome to my blog, “Ordinary African Student” (shout out to “Coming to America” for the title). “Ordinary African Student” is about me documenting the final year (Can I get an Amen?) of my journey as a doctoral student, as I will myself to finish what I came here to do — leave with a PhD in April 2025. I call myself “ordinary” not to downplay the significance of this pursuit, but to show solidarity with every Black student who has navigated higher education and survived. And thrived. And grieved. And struggled. And fought. And resisted. And grinded. And survived. This blog is for…
Those of us on our second “last degree.”
The ones who hate school but love to learn.
The ones who hate it here.
The ones who know we can’t change these institutions but try anyway.
The ones who stick it out and stick together.
The ones who leave.
The ones who are forced out.
The ones who take a break.
The ones who are broken.
The ones who are trying to heal and be whole.
I came up with the idea to start “Ordinary African Student” four years ago, so when my dissertation coach (shout out to Dr. Marvette Lacy, founder of Qual Scholars) suggested I write a blog, I embraced this moment as an invitation to revisit my idea. Just kidding. I smiled and nodded while we were on Zoom, but I could not imagine myself going through with it. I had to move through and past the voices (because there were many) in my head that told me this wasn’t a good idea cause “You should never share something you are doing until it’s done.” “I don’t want people in my business.” “Do I even know how to write?” “I don’t have much going on right now that people will care about.” “Will anyone care?” “I don’t want people to think that I think I know it all.” What if people think this is trash?” “I don’t wanna embarrass myself.” “Everybody and their mama has a blog or a podcast.” “But wait. What if I don’t finish?” I call these my greatest hits. I play these voices in my head as much as my Ghanaian mother used to play Celine Dion’s “A New Day Has Come” on our drive to dance class. I wish I could say that these voices are gone but they’re still there. They are quiet(er), but still present.
I’m writing this blog anyway.
I’m writing this blog with no other intention but to invite folks to witness me on my journey, as I write and ultimately defend my dissertation — all while trying to do my best in the Midwest as a Ghanaian-American City Girl (Not that kind. I’ve lived in a lot of cities on the east coast!).
I am exercising consistently, dancing, drinking my water, minding the business that pays me, and preparing to transition back into the workforce. I am growing to love this version of me and am excited to share more about how she got here and what she is up to.
I am also writing this blog for myself. Teaching elementary school children was one of the most significant experiences in my life, but aside from a few pictures and “remember when” conversations with my other teacher friends, I can’t remember much. I do remember it was traumatic. I also know there was so much that was good, and I wish I could revisit these moments in my memories. Real talk — being a doctoral student has also been traumatic (another school, another trauma). I’m finding the good and holding on for dear life because it is the only thing that is sustaining me. I want to remember the good. I also want to remember the bad, so I can release it when I leave here. In the end, I want to appreciate where I am now, so I do not rely on being fulfilled by the hype that may or may not result from me finally becoming doctor. There was a time when all I could think about was going to graduate school, and when I did, the excitement faded once I took my first class. There is no telling what this blog will become, but my prayer is that it helps me to process this process.
While I do not have a clear plan for this blog, I do have commitments, which outline what you can expect from me.
- I commit to sharing my writing consistently. Right now, that will be at least 3 blog posts a month.
- I commit to writing to process and not to perfect.
- I commit to speaking from no other lens but my own.
- I commit to making my writing accessible to folks who are not in academia.
- I commit to making mistakes. I am figuring it out as I go, y’all!
If you love “Coming to America”, are invested in my journey to becoming Dr. Owusu II, or just “so happy to be here,” please come back to read more. Comment with affirmations, questions, loving critiques, etc!
With love and gratitude,
Mimi