Before her first semester began, Andrea Joseph ’05 worried that college-level work would be beyond her reach, so she enrolled in the Urban Education Summer Bridge Program to get a jump start. Then, she says, her fears were confirmed. “I vividly recall former staff member Julie Hill-Spivey stating that we would need ‘sweat equity’ to be successful in college,” Joseph says. “But this narrative was followed by ‘and we’re going to support you.’”
Joseph learned the Urban Education model involved both hard work and solid backing, and milestones, such as earning the dean’s list, were celebrated to add further inspiration for perseverance. “I aimed to give every semester my best shot, no matter how much ‘sweat’ it would cost me,” she says.
The Urban Education Program was established in 1968. Led by Director Joan Fuller, it’s a leadership development program designed to help students succeed and transition to the University lifestyle. Through her participation, Joseph was able to learn about and take advantage of scholarship programs as well as research and professional-development opportunities. She thrived, earning multiple honors, including the Massachusetts Hall of Black Achievement award.
Joseph also learned through the program the notion of teamwork and what it means to have collegial success. “By realizing that my own achievements were largely a reflection of the supportive community I was in at Westfield State, it only made sense to ‘pay it forward’ to young people who aspired to go to college,” she says. So, Joseph became a peer counselor at the University so she could share the spirit of Urban Education with other students.
Her success and philosophy of giving have continued post-graduation. After earning a master’s degree in social work at the University of Connecticut, Joseph was one of over 50 students awarded a U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Scholarship from a pool of 700 applications. She spent a year in London, where she earned a master’s in social justice education and worked as a student ambassador for the London University International Partnership.
Joseph is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh. Despite her hectic and impressive career, she remains connected to the Urban Education Program. She taught a critical thinking workshop for students and served on the board for the Joan E. Fuller Urban Education Scholarship. She has also donated to the scholarship fund, which she feels is named appropriately after her mentor. “The program helped me to realize that I loved learning and that I could be a scholar,” Joseph says.
