We had the good fortune of connecting with Osazi Al Khaliq and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Osazi, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Thank you for having me. I credit a lot of my success in being a college admission coach to the belief that my job is to address educational inequity by empowering disadvantaged students in their college application process. As a coach, it’s important that my students understand that their goal isn’t just to get into a great college but to excel on campus. That requires them to think for the long term and reflect upon their journey of growth and where they see themselves in the future. The goal of this process is less of telling admission committees what you think they want to hear and more of authentically showing who you are and how you see yourself. This process involves a lot of reflection, judgement, vulnerability and openness. And so a lot of my work with my students seeks to explore the stories that they would rather hide from. And in many cases, it is these stories that are the most powerful and raw. In my experience in working with the undeserved, I have noticed that many do not see their adversity as their strength. Because of which, they choose to run from these experiences that have made them who they are today. As their mentor, I tell my students to let their story and narrative empower them. To let their stories of adversity serve as a proclamation to their resilience and aptitude to meet the challenges of the world head on. This process is more than about listing hardship but about healing and reflecting upon how their experiences have shaped them today. The last student whom I worked with was through a program called Takeoff Space. Working alongside another mentor, Isabel, I was able to help the student specifically write her college essay and gain a full ride to Harvard University. She came to me with several possible topics for her college application ranging from her faith to her dreams and pursuits. When I questioned her and asked which of these topics she truly cared about and which she felt defined her, she responded saying it was her narrative as an immigrant. In her essay, she ended up defining what being an immigrant meant to her in contrast to what she felt the world and media ascribed to the term. By reclaiming and defining her heritage for herself, she was able to address her insecurities as a means to empower how she saw herself instead of what the world saw her as. It was at that moment that the prior burdens she felt about her identity ceased to matter. In college, it is the results of these unaddressed insecurities which induce imposter syndrome and makes the disadvantaged feel out of place and unworthy to the point that they suffer academically. By addressing these insecurities head on in their application process, they take a step forward in learning how to let their stories serve as their will and not as their demise. I have found this approach to be successful in the long run for my students and the most impactful because they take these lessons with them as they grow to become young leaders in the world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to think that my career first started in learning how to be a leader and civil servant. I was able to gain these tools through my participation in the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project (HDCDP), an Atlanta-based pipeline program that recruits, trains, and matriculates highly motivated black youth into a summer debate residency at Harvard College. Through my participation in the program, studying under its founder Brandon Fleming and Director of Operations Kellye Britton, I learned that providing access, opportunity, and empowerment are integral to cultivating the success of those who are undeserved. I learned that as a leader and student who has the privilege of debating at Harvard, that I have a moral obligation to give back to my community and equip them with the skills that I have learned and made me successful. In doing so, I worked with students within the program to organize and facilitate community workshops where we as students developed curriculum teaching public speaking and debate to hundreds of youth across Metro- Atlanta. All the lessons I learned from the program not only gave me the skills I needed in order to be an effective leader but it also gave me the courage to pursue higher levels of achievement. Without this program, I doubt I would have had the courage to apply to Harvard University. Yet, it was with this instilled fortitude I ended up applying and later getting accepted. What I understood most from this process was that my lack of confidence related more to a mental barrier than a lack of skill. Since then I’ve committed myself to serving students in similar situations by seeking to provide a sense of access, opportunity, and empowerment to those without. In reflecting on my own journey to Harvard I also came to understand how my community played an essential role in facilitating how I was able to develop myself as a scholar and young adult. Knowing that I had support and love whether it was from HDCDP, my family, or my local community helped me achieve what I thought I couldn’t. By providing me these tools of self affirmation I was able to learn how to be confident in my skills, knowledge and pursuits. When I work with my students I try to expose them to as many tools and literature of self affirmation as possible to help them along in their journey. “144 Maxims For Personal Power” by Ido Wu is an example of such literature which includes affirmations and personal activities to help one develop their mental powers and increase their ability to take ownership of their life. I tell the students I work with to embrace similar works that cultivate their self esteem and empower their minds and how they see themselves. What I want the world to take away from my experience and journey is that a lot of the change we want to see in the world starts at the community and individual level. There is a need especially in Atlanta to not only serve disadvantaged youth but to also invest in their dreams, talents and skills. The goal of progress will always be to cultivate leaders and organic intellectuals who are able to perform in the world but also be civil servants who will come back to reinvest in their community. This virtue of reciprocity will serve to be the building blocks to achieving successful communities for all.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Yes. During my time in highschool I had the great fortune of being very close to the beltline. Such that, a lot of my time was spent walking or riding bicycles through different neighborhoods and restaurants. A great local spot that I loved to dine at is Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall. If I invited a friend to the city we would definitely go out to eat there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Recently I participated in an online panel discussion tilted Undercounted: Black Men Speak that was hosted by the organization Faircount. Moderated by Mr. Ed Reed, the event brought together young black men and leaders from Atlanta and Chicago to talk about topics ranging from civic engagement, police brutality, the dreams of the youth, what we thought about the world, and more. This discussion was powerful and got a great response and audience on their facebook page. It also served as a wonderful opportunity to give black men a platform to speak on. For these reasons I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to Mr. Reed and Faircount for creating that space and opportunity.

Instagram: Starboy.Osazi
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/osazi-al-khaliq-267346157
Twitter: Osazi_AlKhaliq

Image Credit:
Mentors of Takeoff Space via Takeoff Space
Osazi and mentees via Takeoff Space