A report released this past spring by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, said that students who borrow the most money are disproportionately black, and are more likely to have attended a private,nonprofit or for-profit college than a public four-year college. One Atlanta-area teacher vowed when her daughter reached this point in her life that things would be different. She would not allow her daughter to fall into a debt trap.
Chari Cowan, who worked full time while in college studying to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, spent many late nights helping her daughter, Chancie Dunn, with homework. Cowan spent many afternoons and weekends at Chancie’s AAU basketball practices and drills, because it was her daughter’s passion. Chancie had found her niche at the tender age of 10.
“I think I was blessed with an obedient child. I was so scared of being a double statistic — another single mother with a menace to society. Chancie’s involvement in extracurricular activities at an early age helped with discipline, keeping her focused and just having structure. Johnson’s Learning Center [a private school in Atlanta that serves children in pre-K to 3rd grade] was a major help. It takes a village, and the teachers took care of Chancie. They would allow me to drop her off her before the school opened, so I could get to work on time. I have to say I have had a great man who helped support her, Terrell [Cowan’s husband of six years]. I have always told her do the right things and good things will follow, so her rewards pretty much came to her when she did the right thing,” she says.
Chancie was a guard on Southwest DeKalb High School’s basketball team and her jersey number was 23. She was secretary of her class throughout high school; and helped lead her team to three state championships: 2008, 2009, and 2010. She was nominated for the 2010 McDonald’s All-American Team; named to the Jackie Bradford All-Metro Team at the 2010 Naismith Awards by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club; selected to play in the the Elite 10: Georgia vs. Florida All-Star Game in Miami; selected for the DeKalb County All-Star Team; and named Champion of the Week for her work with the Special Olympics by the Champion Newspaper.
She graduated in 2010 with honors and received a full scholarship to Clemson University where she’s majoring in sports management and sporting the number 23 on her Lady Tigers’ jersey.
Any tips for other moms?
“Hold your children accountable. Ask them to explain the consequences for actions both good and bad. Don’t hesitate to tell them your story so they realize you are a human. I don’t think they realize that,” says Cowan. –yvette caslin
