The college decisions process is one of the most crucial points in your life, one that often is decided by various factors. Factors that can range from costs, loans, distance from home, and family. But a factor that is often the most indicative of where a student wants to pursue higher learning is peer pressure.
Peer pressure amongst family, friends, and even high school staff and tradition is real and can either contribute to a student making the best decision for them or an ill-informed decision that could alter the rest of their life.
Dominique Henry is currently a junior at Warren Easton Charter High School located on Canal St in New Orleans. And though she is just now becoming invested in the process of exploring potential colleges, she is experiencing the aspects of peer pressure but is not letting it affect her.
“I see other kids pick schools because of friends, but I don’t feel the need to follow them, I’m going somewhere I feel is best for me,” said Dominique Henry.
The place she feels is best for her is University of Arkansas, where she plans to pursue a career as a real estate agent. Dominique has two sisters who are currently enrolled in college, Gabrielle who is a junior at Loyola University in New Orleans and Jadah who is currently a freshman at Delgado Community College.
“I don’t feel any pressure to go to college because my sisters are currently in college, but if I left to go to school out of state I would miss my family, that’s the only real pressure that I feel,” said Dominique.
While Dominique is handling the college decision process with ease and a calm demeanor, her older sisters Gabrielle and Jadah had more difficulty picking their respective colleges, both having a common source of pressure, their father Steve Henry.
“I felt peer pressure from my father to go to Xavier when in high school, that’s where he went and I guess he wanted us to go too,” said Jadah Henry.
“My dad pushed me towards Xavier a little bit, my senior year he put me in a summer program called SOAR at Xavier. He graduated from there so he kind of wanted me to go there,” said Gabrielle Henry.
Steve Henry, a teacher at Sophie B. Wright Charter School, is an alum of Xavier University and admits that he would lean towards them when discussing college with his daughters.
“I left the choice to my daughters for their schools but I always had a preference towards my alma mater, but I mainly just wanted my daughters to be comfortable with their decisions,” said Steve.
With his background as a teacher, Steve Henry would preach the importance of education to his daughters growing up and life after high school but doesn’t believe he pushed them to go to college, it was ultimately their choice.
“College was expressed and communicated to my daughters, however the decision to pursue college was ultimately theirs,” said Steve Henry.
Gabrielle, the oldest of the three sisters, always knew she wanted to go to college but didn’t always know where she wanted to go. She experienced peer pressure from friends, family, and even her high school, Edna Karr High School.
“At first I wanted to go to LSU because it was always believed that once you went to Karr you go to LSU so I did feel pressure that way but I eventually chose Loyola on my own,” said Gabrielle Henry.
A big part of her decision to pick Loyola was the diversity it offered her that she never had experienced.
“I wanted to go to a school where there was more diversity because in high school only had like three white kids, Loyola offered me a new experience,” said Gabrielle Henry.
Jadah Henry, the middle of these three sisters, wasn’t sure if college was for her at first, and still wrestles with the idea of being in school for three more years.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to a university at first so I decided to go to Delgado first before spending a lot of money to go to a four year university. I’m thinking of joining the military after getting my associate’s degree at Delgado, I have realized that school isn’t for me right now but after my time in the service I will come back,” said Jadah Henry.
Jadah still feels a bit of uneasiness with her decision to go to the military because it is the opposite of her father’s beliefs.
“My father being a teacher did have me nervous at first about going to the military and Delgado because he is big on education, but I’m comfortable with my choice,” said Jadah Henry.
With Dominique’s impending decision on where she will attend college Steve Henry has been through this rodeo before and is prepared if Dominique does become the first of his daughters to attend college out of state.
“If Dominique does decide to attend Arkansas we wouldn’t wait until move in day to make a trip. We would make sure that she had the right amount of support and safety to be comfortable seeing as she would be the first to go to school out of state,” said Steve Henry.
Dominique insists that she is ready for whatever challenges she may be getting ready to face if she indeed decides to go to college out of state.
“I’m comfortable with whatever decision I make and that’s how I feel,” said Dominique Henry.
No pressure at all.
Kameron Hay 