Meet Jhan: A Look at Today’s Student Experience

Recently, the BIF Student Experience team had a compelling conversation with a student named Jhan at his family home after work.  Well spoken and deeply self aware, Jhan came to the US in 6^th grade, learning English initially, and then attending Feinstein School South Providence, Rhode Island, where he completed a cross disciplinary education there based on portfolio work.

Despite his success in college, Jhan has some regrets about this style of education, sometimes feeling that he never really mastered basic academic skills and misses nuances of common knowledge that other students at an elite Post Secondary education experience have.

A Bentley College business undergrad student, Jhan just successfully completing his hard earned freshman year.  He is seeking a college degree through his own momentum, and the support of his family, both of which enable him to navigate what has proven to be an arduous but rewarded experience.

Jhan reflects on the difficulties he faces with great candor, especially of not really belonging in his old home, with his friends anymore, nor quite fitting in with the new set of peers at his school.  He spoke of diversity, noting that while schools might count race as diversity many people of different ethnicities may not be truly varying in terms of the economic, academic and social background, i.e., an asian minority student might come from a supportive school system and highly educated family.  That said he finds both Bentley and his peers enormously supportive.  The school has a rigorous summer prep program for these students and the network of advisors, counselors, professors and peers is strong, nonetheless it seems that in many ways even with so much support the student himself must walk the path every hour of every day. 

It was a privilege to hear his story.  We hope you will find Jhan’s experience as thought provoking as we did.