Education Is Freedom (EIF) provides college and career advising to students across Dallas County. Roddrick Jones, an EIF adviser at South Garland High School in Garland ISD, exemplifies the transformative impact this personalized, high-quality advising can have on a student’s journey.
Commit is proud to partner more closely with Education is Freedom as a part of our expanded Dallas County Promise effort. A recent historic investment will allow EIF to serve even more campuses across the county, including middle schools. Jones’ story underscores how, by empowering students with these essential resources and support earlier in their education, students can make more informed decisions about their future, setting them on paths toward earning a living wage.
Tell us about yourself and your educational journey.
I’m a product of DISD. I'm originally from Oak Cliff. It was a kind of a rough little area, and my mom gave me up in the seventh grade, so I was forced to go live with my grandparents, and I went to Samuell High School in Dallas ISD.
When I went to high school, I actually was two grade levels behind. So, I went to Samuell and the EIF adviser that helped me out was a big advocate for me as a part of my village, who instilled some wise words in my life, and I took it, and I ran with it.
What advice did your adviser give you?
It's not about how you start; it's about how you finish.
I wasn't the troublemaker, but I wasn't the smartest kid in the room. So, I was the kid in the middle, but I was always looked over. So, with her just saying that, “It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish,” that stuck with me when she wasn't even supposed to advise me. It was only for seniors.
She was advising me through life, not even about college, not even about a career. She was just guiding me through life and how to navigate it. She made me do a mural on the wall with EIF on it when I was a freshman. I think it was just a wonderful thing where I expressed myself. She believed in me.
How did this advice impact your post high school graduation plans?
I was one of the ones who had the most scholarships at Samuell High School. The ones that no one [else] did, I’m the one that did. So when I received all those scholarships, that let me know that I can. And so, I did. I was like: “I'm going to college.”
I attended Jarvis Christian University. I had a phenomenal experience. I was the captain of the cheerleading team. I was a student ambassador. I helped with the admissions. I was in SGA, Student Government Association. I was heavily, heavily involved. It was because of my [EIF] adviser.
How did this journey inspire your career goals?
At Jarvis I was supposed to be an environmental science major. I love environmental science. However, I was doing some work-study at the school. I was helping the incoming freshmen and the sophomores and the juniors. and I fell in love with education. I fell in love with helping others because someone helped me.
I just was like, oh, I probably want to be an EIF adviser because I love education, and I love helping students navigate to and through college.
I reached out to one of the EIF advisors at the time: “Hey, I’m a product of EIF and I would love to come back.” He guided me through the whole way, and I became an EIF adviser at Samuell High School. I actually was an adviser at the school that I graduated from, and it was amazing. I was there for three years.
Data show that COVID-19 negatively impacted college enrollment rates and financial aid completion. As you started your advising role during that unprecedented time, explain how you and EIF responded to that situation.
It was very uncertain. That was the most tedious year of my advising career. It was so crazy because they were middle school students and then they were in high school, about to graduate. [There] was a lot of catching up that we had [to do] to fill in the gap. We had to not just be their adviser, but we had to be the parent. We had to be everything for them from A to Z. EIF’s job was to fill in that gap for the ones that did not know.
The expansion of Dallas County Promise will increase EIF’s presence in middle schools. How will that allow students to thrive even more?
They'll be exposed to way more. With the students now, they think that they have to wait until that 12th grade year to start. It brings me back to the beginning of the conversation, with my adviser. She started with me as a freshman and saw how I overcame everything.
The world is evolving. It's beyond college at this point. You don't have to go to college to be successful. You could get a trade. You could get a certification. And I love that. I see the transformation. We're transforming lives.
I wish I would've started sooner, because I probably would've earned more scholarships. I probably could've improved my GPA. I didn't know the effects it had. I didn't know everything was connected. So I think it’s phenomenal that we're starting it when they're in middle school, when they're having these questions.
What makes Education is Freedom impactful?
You have to be called to do this work. This is a calling. We are do-ers and we're doing it. You can see it in the data. You can see it in our students. You can see it on us. We're student-first and we're student-driven. And that's one thing I love about Education is Freedom, is that we care.
