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Given the obstacles she has overcome on her path to graduation, it’s a surprise that San Marcos High School student Jewellisa Bolden hasn’t been able to find a single scholarship to attend the expensive – and prestigious – Howard University in Washington D.C.
Then again, her sunny can-do disposition in the face of adversity is what helped land her a place in the school in the first place, so it’s a safe bet she’ll figure out a way to pay the necessary $40,000 a year.
 Jewellisa Bolden put in 430 hours of community volunteer work when the school requires only 60. Photo by Rob Kuznia/SBN
For as long as Jewellisa can remember, her father has been in and out of jail. Her mother has been out of the picture, living near Sacramento.
Raised by her grandparents from birth, Jewellisa will graduate with hundreds of other San Marcos High School seniors on June 14.
In recent years, she has helped her grandparents take care of her uncle, Elbert, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.
Meanwhile, in addition to attending school, Jewellisa has worked full-time, variously at Kmart, Sears, as a telemarketer, and now Ralphs, to help pay for the many expenses of being a high school kid. For the last two years of her high school career, her day started at 8 a.m. and ended as late as 11 p.m.
Through it all, she’s been one of just a handful of black students in a large school filled mostly with white and Latino pupils, and has endured her share of awkward moments.
But Jewellisa, 18, doesn’t dwell on any of these matters. In fact, it never occurred to her to try to sell her story in an essay to the admissions officials at Howard University. Instead, it was the idea of her academic counselor, Erik Nielson, who wrote them an essay himself.
“I have seen so many students crumble when facing similar circumstances, but not Jewellisa,” he wrote. “In all my years as a counselor, I have never seen a more resilient student.”
This week, at a senior awards ceremony, Jewellisa took home an achievement award for her student leadership and hundreds of hours of volunteerism. It was a happy occasion; her father was even there to see her pick it up in the full auditorium.
 Elbert (Jewellisa's uncle), Jewellisa, and her grandparents, Fred and Jewell Garrett. Photo by Rob Kuznia
When attending La Colina Junior High School, she got into conflicts with her teachers, and wound up being sent to an alternative school, Community Day.
“All of eighth grade was just a big blur,” she said.
But instead of hardening over time, she blossomed. By the time she reached high school, Jewellisa was engaged. She played softball, became the secretary of the student government and studied hard. Perhaps most impressively, she put in 430 hours of community volunteer work when the school requires only 60.
She wrapped gifts to raise money for non-profits, refereed junior high intramural basketball, and made cold calls to raise money for poor students to attend a YMCA camp.
Working long hours has complicated Jewellisa’s efforts to maintain high marks. Her GPA is currently at 2.9, and she’s on tenterhooks for the results of some finals to see if she can get over the 3.0 mark. In terms of percentage points, the difference is small; but in dollars and cents, it could be huge: Many scholarships require a minimum GPA of 3.0.
The reason for the long hours, Jewellisa said, is to lift the financial burden off of her grandparents.
“It’s expensive being a high school student,” she said.
Prom alone cost her $500. Other expenses included the senior trip to Disneyland, her cell phone, and class projects such as a display of the kinds of food eaten during the Restoration Period – which ran her $50. But if her high school career has been a grind at times, it has also felt safe.
Jewellisa’s grandmother, 76-year-old Jewel Garrett, said the idea of seeing her granddaughter move all the way to the other coast is nervewracking.
“That’s a long way from home – she’s never been away from home,” she said.
But Jewellisa said she is up for the adventure, adding that it will be interesting to attend a school whose student base is mostly African American.
As a black student at San Marcos, Jewellisa said she hasn't encountered much racial animosity. But she has endured some uncomfortable situations, especially when addressing topics such as slavery or Martin Luther King in history class.
“It always felt like everybody was looking at me,” she said.
Once, a teacher who every year assigns students the task of writing a letter from the perspective of a slave pulled Jewellisa aside and asked if she was OK with doing the exercise.
“I appreciated her thinking of me, but it was kind of like, ‘OK,’” she said.
In mid-August, Jewellisa will see her new campus for the first time. Her grandparents will be with her for the first two weeks, then she’ll be on her own. She plans to major in political science.
“My biggest fear is getting scared and coming back,” she said. “But I think I’m ready.” |
