Earning a Degree While Quarantined

Kameron McDowell

University of Southern California

As of December 16, 2020, Kameron McDowell is a college graduate of the University of Southern California. That’s right! This week marks the completion of his undergraduate degree in Philosophy and we are incredibly proud of his determination and perseverance. We are also excited to include him as one of our 250 college graduates and look forward to receiving his graduation photo to mount in our classroom with all of our other graduates.

Kameron started attending Alive & Free’s Leadership Academy when he was a senior in high school at Oakland’s School of the Arts. “I was really confused during my senior year and wasn’t sure where or what I was going to study,” Kameron shared. “I was hesitant to take on a lot of student debt. I decided to start off at Chabot Community College and joined the Striving Black Brothers Coalition. I look back on those days fondly and received an excellent education. It was around that time that I realized I wanted to study philosophy. While I was at USC, I became a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow which aims to increase diversity in the faculty ranks of institutions of higher learning.”

Kameron smiles as he reminisces. “Alive & Free taught me to listen and to not be so ready to claim something. They taught me to listen to their wisdom. Our last College Prep class sticks out the most for me. It felt like we just laid everything out and removed anything in our own personal hang-ups that would’ve hindered us from getting a college education. Dr. Marshall, Ms. Estell, and Ms. Demetra all, in the most beautiful and healing way, exhaled out all of our insecurities. I felt like after that last meeting, we could all move forward safely to our colleges and succeed.”

“All I have are fond memories of Alive & Free, from the celebrations like the BBQ and Kwanzaa to Career Day where they took us to 1300 Fillmore, SF General and a stock trading center. I look forward to the text messages from Dr. Marshall and as I get older, I get hungry for being involved and included in my community.”

“Thank you to Alive & Free. Seriously, it wouldn’t have been possible without you. It’s amazing, the love that you have for us youth. It’s awe inspiring. It’s a model I think we should all inspire to be.”