By Bernadette Cooper
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
August 2015: senior year in high school.
This was the year I promised my daughter Savannah that I’d work even harder at not saying “we” each time I described an experience that was solely “hers”:
We’re a senior in high school, graduating in 180 days.
We’re applying to colleges up and down the eastern corridor.
We’re majoring in journalism and French, wherever we land.
Although I’m her biggest cheerleader and along for (most of) the ride, this experience was and would be uniquely hers and ready or not, I was going to have to come to grips with that.
Savannah visited her share of colleges and universities. As a matter of fact, the count was lost sometime after campus visit #50. She had the idea of starting her college search during the summer before her freshman year of high school (in order to get ahead of the game). Learning what the schools wanted and getting a glimpse into the respective admissions process prior to starting high school allowed her to proactively become the ‘master of her fate’. Instead of scrambling in her junior year of high school to fit certain classes, interests or extracurricular activities into her schedule, she was able to focus instead on honing her likes, enjoying senior year (and enjoyed she did) and planning accordingly.
When crunch time arrived and it was time to apply to colleges after all those visits, she was ready. Almost. Enter Baylor University. I vividly recall when I first heard those words. At the beginning of senior year. Baylor University. Where is that? Texas. Oh no, ma’am. Not even a contender. While we are big travelers, both domestic and international, the deal was Savannah would attend college no more than 6 hours from home by car. My rationale—if she phoned me at 6 a.m. with a crisis, I could easily be to her by lunch time. Perfect. Baylor University. They found Savannah—due to the number of lists she landed on as a minority student with competitive grades and a rigorous course load.
February marked the arrival of the first of many acceptance letters. College interviews came and went. Things calmed down for a month or so and then seemingly out of nowhere, more information from Baylor kept flooding our mailbox. Alright, Savannah, I said. Let’s talk about Baylor. I began doing my own homework on what this school and town had to offer my only child. My female child. I was instantly turned off by the distance, the price tag, the lack of diversity and the scandal. Sigh. However, I was most impressed that my teenager was considering a Christian institution. Upon further research, I learned the school had quite a bit to offer. She was looking for a strong program in journalism, a Division 1 school that enjoyed sports but didn’t worship them, a mid-sized student population and far enough from home to spread her wings.
After reading testimonies from students and continuing to comb through the website, I thought that at the very least, we could pay Baylor a visit. I also received my first contact, a letter, from the Baylor Parent Network, who introduced me to Frances George of Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s the Baylor liaison in the Tarheel State. I immediately reached out to her and she phoned me back shortly after I left a message. Our initial conversation lasted 60 minutes. I found her to be delightful, upfront, enthusiastically Baylor and a lover of Christ. I liked her right away. At the conclusion of the phone call, I still had a few questions that Fran couldn’t answer. I phoned the Baylor Network folks looking for another Baylor parent that was a little more like me: a minority, single parent, and one who might benefit from the school’s payment plan for tuition payments. The Network didn’t have anyone that fit my criteria, but I was sure I’d find someone in the coming weeks….
A few weeks later, Savannah and I landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International airport, rented a car and headed down I-35 toward Waco. It was Thursday, April 28th and Savannah had until May 1st to let Baylor know if she would accept their offer of admission for the Fall 2016 semester.
As expected, the Baylor staff were on their game. Based on prior campus visit experience, we expected the red-carpet treatment. The school tells the prospective student what they want to hear while simultaneously trying to sell the parents on what they are while glossing over what they aren’t. The Welcome Center had fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. I’d not eaten since I boarded the flight at 5 a.m. so that was a sweet plus. Cookies aside, the staff spoke to us and answered all of our questions. The students hosting the tours were mature and seemed genuinely fond of Baylor. Again, quite willing to answer any and all questions. The campus was well kept and looked magnificent.
As I looked around, I came to the sudden realization that I could see Savannah here in another four months and for the next four years. Beyond the tour, Savannah had tried scheduling appointments with the head of the departments she was most interested in—Journalism and French. There was no one available from the Journalism department but the French department chair was on hand. He not only met with us for a full hour but invited us out for the evening to a local eatery with him and some of the students. He provided the best of advice to the soon to be graduating senior on how to wrap up senior year and how to prepare for classes in the fall. Even prior to her commitment, he invited us to sit in on a 2nd level French class the next day. We accepted.
The next day we met with Financial Aid and the admissions counselors. It was a full two-day visit and by the beginning of day #2, we already knew that Savannah would become a Baylor Bear and join the ranks of the class of 2020. Meanwhile, back in North Carolina, we were able to connect to some African-American Baylor alumni through LinkedIn. Still asking the hard questions of race relations, scandal, and life on this predominantly white campus, everything came back positive. Yes, Savannah was heading to Baylor.
The NC Baylor Parent Network hosted three “meet & greets” this summer. Savannah met nearly two dozen NC Baylor sisters and brothers and real friendships were forged in the living room of the George home as well as the Henry home in Charlotte. I met scores of families with several things in common—a love for this school, the school community, our children….and foremost, Christ. She hadn’t yet started her first day at Baylor and had only visited campus once, but we both knew this was the place, the best fit for my little bear cub.
High school graduation came and went. Savannah enjoyed a summer vacation with some of her high school class in Europe and returned to Charlotte to work for the remainder of the summer to save up spending money for school. Before we knew it, she was saying farewell to friends and family, near and far and receiving all sorts of well wishes for this new adventure she would soon be starting.
Stay tuned for more stories from “our” Baylor journey. My hope is that I’m able to speak to you—parent to parent—and offer encouragement and insight from having just gone through the process you’re embarking on now.
Sic’em Bears!