Davashaye Jones joined Delaware College Scholars in 2014 as a member of Cohort One, the first group of students to participate in the DCS program. After graduating from DCS in 2016, Davashaye has continued to give back and has served as the program’s head student advisor for the past three summers. Davashaye, who will graduate Spring 2020 from St. Joseph’s University with a degree in Sociology, sat down with us to talk about the evolution of DCS and why it remains an important aspect of her life.
Q: What was DCS like when you were a part of the program? What were your experiences like?
A: DCS was very small when I was a scholar in the program; we were like a small, close-knit, family. It was similar to today’s DCS academic workload and social experiences, but our cohorts and classes were smaller.
Q: What made you want to come back to DCS and further support the program?
A: The fact that they helped me so much. I already knew when I went off to college, there was nothing more I wanted to do than to come back and be an advisor. Even before Dr. Alleyne created the student advisor position and experience, my fellow cohort members and I asked if we could come back in some capacity. That was the ultimate goal; to come back and do the same thing that Bre, Jake, Nana, and Devin all did with us. We wanted to continue the tradition of starting out as a student and transitioning to an advisor.
Q: What’s your favorite part of working for DCS as an advisor?
A: I would definitely say the connections I’ve made with the students. I love seeing different students from many different backgrounds and different families. Making those connections with them and being able to stay in touch with them during the school year. Two of the girls had even said I was their DCS mom.
Q: What’s one of the hardest challenges you face as an advisor?
A: Making sure that all of the students know what they’re here for. They need to know that this is an academic program and they’re here to learn and help themselves for their own futures. We’re here to help them get into college, graduate from college, and get a great job in whatever field they choose. This is a program where you have to work hard, but the connections you make here will all be worth it.
Q: What do students and fellow advisors know you for?
A: I would say being the person in charge. I’m very headstrong and some of the students tell me that I look a little intimidating. I am constantly walking around and doing things for the program.
Q: Do you think being a part of the program helped prepare you for an advising experience?
A: Definitely. Just seeing what our previous advisors did with us created a model of what we’re supposed to be like, and it’s who we strive to be like. I want each advisor to have a close connection with each student; we’re their mentors, we’re their big brothers and sisters. I think having that experience myself opened me up to be able to come back and be an advisor.
Q: How quickly did you take to your students? How quickly did they get comfortable with you?
A: Quickly. Each year is a little bit different, and the first two years, I was directly involved with the students. I lived on dorm with them, taught them, and was there the entire time with them. This year, I lived with the graduating class, and after they left, I transitioned to connecting with the remaining students. They didn’t really get to know me the first week, but they did when I started being on dorm with them and talking with them. I think I’m just as close with them as I was with the students I lived with over the years.
Q: What have you learned, through this job and through completing the DCS program, about balancing life and work?
A: Time management. I think that’s a big part of DCS, and that’s what we strive to teach them when we bring the students here and give them a strict schedule. I think that’s the best way to teach time management. But I took that idea and implemented it into college with my multiple jobs, cheer, activities, and good grades.
Q: Does seeing the effects of DCS’s mission push you to continue supporting the program?
A: Definitely. I think our mission to help first-generation students get into college, graduate, and get a great job is a wonderful mission and is something we strive for. I’m one of those people that went through the program and am an example of our mission; I’m the perfect example of it.
Q: What short piece of advice would you give to those who want to become an advisor?
A: Anyone who is thinking about it should apply and try to become an advisor. The experience of being a student and then becoming an advisor is a full 360; it’s an entirely different (and great) experience. Being an advisor when you were a former DCS scholar allows you to experience both sides. It helps you do your job the best you can.
Q: What are your hopes or plans for the future?
A: Well, I plan to go to law school, finish within three years, and get a job in criminal law. I want to be a criminal attorney for those who were wrongfully convicted or received wrongful sentencing.