Annette Oshin Class of 2004

Interview by Aneara Burns. Photo courtesy of Youtube.

Friendship Public Charter Schools have always instilled in its students the importance of STEM, and nobody knows that better than Annette Oshin. I had the privilege of interviewing Ms.Oshin about her college experience, adversities and career in STEM.

Aneara:  What college did you attend, and what was your major?

Annette : I went to Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. I majored in Chemistry. 

Aneara:  After college, what was your career path like?

Annette: When I left college, my intention was to attend pharmacy school, and prior to that, I started working. So every summer I worked with the extended learning programs at Friendship. And, you know, during my time there, I started to like the education space a little bit more. And then I grew in that field in education, but while I was in education, I tried to push for students to pursue careers in STEM. I went on to teach a few science courses, one of which I taught you. Now I’m working as a project manager in the STEM field.

Aneara:  A lot of black women are not in that field. What inspired you to pursue this career and what drew you to STEM? 

Annette:  I think as a young person, I was always interested in the sciences because you always discover new things. Even if you fail, you still find something in science. And so I think that and also that its very underrepresented in the African-American community or minority community. But as an African American woman, that also was something that I was exposed to and privy to at a very young age, and that a lot of people who are in those fields are usually males or, white males. So as a young kid, I knew that it was something that I wanted to pursue, and that's why I enjoyed being in education. I was trying to push other students that looked like me to get into science as well. 

Aneara: Were there any obstacles or challenges you had to overcome while in college?

Annette: Collegiate opened in the year 2000, and I was one of the first Collegiate students to attend college. One of the things that I struggled with when I got to college was my science courses. I just knew that science is what I wanted to do. However, and this is not a deliberate attack on Friendship, but I struggled because that foundation wasn’t there. We still struggle with that now in education, just getting well-qualified teachers to teach certain technical subject areas like the sciences. So in college I had to work extra hard, harder than my white peers, because they were prepared for these courses, and I was not. That was very, very hard for me. I even actually had to take an extra year to graduate, just because I had  to take a step back and pause. I didn't want to take a year off, but I just had to take extra time to make sure that I completed my coursework, to ensure that I graduated with a degree that I wanted, which was in chemistry. It was costly, because college is not free, but actually really expensive. That extra year cost me, you know, financially. I'm okay now, but back then I thought, “Oh my God, I’m never going to get it.”But I did. 

Aneara: I understand what you mean about not feeling prepared, and coming outside to the real world to attend college from Friendship. Because I struggle with math, and throughout my years at Friendship, my math teachers were always quitting. And then new people were coming in and they were subs who didn't really like to teach the curriculum. I think in my freshman year, we went through like three math teachers. I just feel like when it comes to education and children, that foundation does need to be built, like you said, in order for students to actually succeed in college, because that's where Collegiate pushes the most. We don't want them to just go to college, but to go and graduate. That's the main thing for me. 

Annette:  And trust me, I've worked there, I've gone to school there and that is one thing I'm actually still pushing for now, like trying to get a computer science lab together over there, which is almost completed. But once again, the teacher that's supposed to teach computer science has now gone. So, it's just a repeating cycle. And it's not just Friendship, it’s an issue across the country. But I feel like we are more impacted by those things in our communities, so it sets us back way behind everyone else, because it's just the nature of the beast. 

Aneara:  What advice would you give to current Collegiate students? 

Annette: Try new things, and just continue to expand their minds, their abilities, their reach. I’ll give you an example. When I was in high school, I remember having the opportunity to learn Cisco. I learned about networking. And of course, I was not interested. I was like, okay, what is this? No desire. But I look back to that now, and considering the field I’m in, if I had some of those technical skills, there's just no telling where I would be in my career. Students get a lot of these opportunities and they don't take advantage of them because they don’t see what's in front of them. But the reality is the world is changing every day, and the more you expose yourself to these things and learn more, the more opportunities become accessible to you. So just continue to explore. Even if you think you don't like something, give it a try. You just never know. I'm trying to promote a way to put yourself out there. Just learn something. There's so much at our fingertips. Everyone has a computer or a phone or some sort of technology. Saying that you don't know the answer to something is almost not acceptable. Doing research and being aware of what's happening around you will impact you later on in life. Be willing to go out and find things out for yourself. 

Aneara Burns is a sophomore at Arizona State University.