A Q&A with CUNY ASAP Alum Dominic Jessup Reid, CUNY John Jay ’13

1. A Q&A with CUNY ASAP Alum Dominic Jessup Reid,
CUNY John Jay ’13
sponsoringyoungpeople.org /a-q-and-a-with-jessup-reid/
Whether you’re an international student new to the U.S., you’re a
teenage mom seeking to balance the twin responsibilities of academia
and motherhood or, like Dominic Jessup Reid, you may just feel a bit
daunted by the question “Am I ready to go to college?”, a
groundbreaking, multi-year initiative from the City University of New
York is garnering national attention for the success it’s exhibited thus
far at helping a wide cross-section of students achieve their college-
going dreams.
“Six years ago, CUNY decided to confront the high dropout rate at its
community colleges with the ASAP initiative,” University of
California, Berkeley Public Policy Professor David L. Kirp wrote
earlier this month in a New York Times op-ed, “How to Help College
Students Graduate.”
“The results are stunning,” Kirp concluded.
Indeed, Kirp is correct. An independently-commissioned MDRC study
of the ASAP program in December found that “After the first semester,
ASAP consistently increased the likelihood that students would enroll in each subsequent semester by 8 to
10 percentage points.”
Also, as Kirp points out, “56 percent of the first two cohorts of more than 1,500 students have graduated,
compared with just 23 percent of a comparable group that didn’t have the same experience. What’s more,
most of those graduates are currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree.”
While Reid is just one of CUNY ASAP’s many success stories, his journey typifies what’s all too often a
tale of resilience commonly experienced by capable students who face self-doubt about their abilities, set
against the stark backdrop of a public school system that does little to offer college guidance to its most-
needy students. (Click here to listen to other ASAP success stories.)
We spoke with him about his college-going journey, his decision to take the high road and seek out and
take advantage of extra help through the ASAP program, and what advice he would offer to other students
in his situation.
Jessup, the class is yours…
Q. To start off, can you talk for a bit about the circumstances, in your high school or outside of
school, that led you to participating in CUNY’s Accelerated Study In Associate Programs in the first
place? In your opinion, how much help would you say that you actually needed before undertaking
regular college-level coursework?
There were two questions that kept haunting me during my junior year of high school. Am I ready to go to
college? How am I going to pay for it?”

2. A. There were two questions that kept haunting me during my junior year of high school. Am I ready to go
to college? How am I going to pay for it? Even after getting accepted to a couple of schools I knew that I
was not prepared. My academic skills were put to the test when I was given an opportunity to attend a
summer program at a SUNY school and it verified how unprepared I still was. Since I wasn’t ready for
college-level work, I decided that to make the financial sacrifice of taking out student loans wasn’t a burden
I willing to make quite yet—especially coming from a low-income family. After coming to the realization that
I needed assistance, I began searching for other schools and programs that I can start with to better
prepare myself, and that’s when I found the ASAP—or rather it found me. I had actually never heard of the
program before, but I was introduced to it by one of the admissions counselors at Borough of Manhattan
Community College upon enrolling there. She told me there was this new program that I qualified for that
was specifically designed to assist students in need financially and academically. To this day, it’s one of the
best decisions I’ve ever made.
Q. After ASAP, I know your first stop was CUNY’s Borough of Manhattan Community College,
where you earned your associate’s before transferring to John Jay College and graduating last
May. Can you talk a bit about the confidence, and specifically the sense of college readiness, that
ASAP gave you to help make the transition—and your earning your bachelor’s degree—a reality?
A. ASAP gave me the confidence and knowledge that I needed to have a better college experience. I was
more comfortable with basic aspects of college-level work and culture, such as registering for classes,
analyzing your transcript, filing for financial aid. Most of all, I was more academically prepared.
ASAP offered us tutoring at a variety of convenient hours, and I was introduced to many students like me
who came from a similar background and who were experiencing similar struggles. The program also
assigned me a counselor I spoke with regularly, and if there was ever something I didn’t understand or had
problems, academically or personally, I always had someone that I could go to. College can be stressful at
times, and sometimes you just need an ear to listen. ASAP really helped me transition to John Jay with
confidence and allowed me to earn my Bachelor’s in Computer Information System in Public
Administration.
Q. I’ve been openly critical of the New York
City Department of Education in the past
for not investing nearly enough money in
helping our young people with college
readiness—which, along with career
readiness, is half of its stated mission.
Speaking as a student who relatively
recently graduated from the school
system, what would you say are some of
the biggest weaknesses in our schools as
far as preparing students for the college-
going experience?
College isn’t promoted enough to students. At a lot of high schools in New York, college is presented as
something that you could do, but not really something that you should do.”
A. College isn’t promoted enough to students. At a lot of high schools in New York, college is presented as
something that you could do, but not really something that you should do. Higher education is highly
advised and should actually be introduced to students at a younger age. College isn’t just academics, it’s
also the social aspect. You get to meet all types of people that you can possibly call lifelong friends and/or
business partners, share ideas and find your identity by being introduced to things you’ve never
experience before. College preparation is definitely something that should be emphasized more in the

3. curriculum.
Q. One of the things that sets ASAP apart from other college preparedness and/or remediation
efforts is the many non-academic services it helps students with, such as tuition fee waivers, free
textbooks and Metrocards. How important are these things to a student’s chances of staying on
course?
A. The financial support that ASAP provided played a major role in my academic journey. Living in New
York City is far from cheap, especially when you’re coming from a low-income family. If you don’t have a
scholarship that can assist you, or if your financial aid only covers a limited amount of what you need to
stay enrolled, balancing things can get tricky fast. College expenses can be discouraging at times, and
ASAP allowed me to be prepared for every class that I took, from purchasing my books to helping me
commute to school. It allowed me to stay on course because I knew I was prepared and didn’t have to
worry about how I was going to get things done.
It’s about dedication and willpower. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. If you know college is for you, do your
research. Information is so easily accessible in today’s world, take advantage of it.”
Q. What advice would you give to a young person who knows in their heart of hearts that a college
degree is vital to their future job prospects and life outcomes but may be doubting their ability to
thrive in such a challenging environment? What’s motivated and/or encouraged you?
Young people should know that all is possible. It’s about dedication and willpower. It isn’t easy, but it can
be done. If you know college is for you, do your research. Information is so easily accessible in today’s
world, take advantage of it. My family was my motivation, it was because of them that I went to college.
They wanted better opportunities for me, and I didn’t want to let them down. If not for your family, then do it
for yourself. You get a sense of accomplishment and you learn so much—academically as well as
personally.
Also read…
• More Graduates: More Students Thrive with Help of CUNY ASAP Program (News)
• A Renewed Approach to Community College Persistence (Opinion)