Sasheen Pottinger-Francis
Alpha Theta Phi 2008-2009 President
Thanks to soccer, Sasheen Pottinger-Francis only sees her goals.
A second-year student majoring in math and science at LaGuardia Community College, Sasheen learned early on the value of persistence, resilience and teamwork. While brainstorming winning strategies for her team in her native Jamaica, Sasheen –who started high school at the age of ten- refused to let obstacles in her path deter her from moving the ball forward.
Despite having to raise four younger brothers and tend to her ailing grandmother when her mother was hospitalized, the then 14-year-old applied the discipline she learned on the soccer field to balance her educational ambitions with her new responsibilities.
“Raising my brothers was like trying to grip running water,” the poised 21-year old explains now. “I applied the discipline of soccer to freeze the water so I could grasp it. But it wasn’t a game, a lot was at stake.”
She imbued her brothers with the value of education, coaching them to take their studies seriously. Practicing what she preached, she did her homework alongside them, taking advantage of the approaching dinner hour as motivation. Her brilliant strategy worked: in anticipation of a home cooked meal, the boys were eager to complete their assignments.
Her philosophy on achieving her educational goals reflects this undaunted determination and big picture mentality. She arrived in America alone at age 18, and immediately got a job in a restaurant earning a paltry $6 an hour. Her family could only provide emotional support for her educational dreams, so Sasheen worked 50 hours a week for a year to save up enough money for a semester’s tuition.
“When I started at LaGuardia, I told myself nothing will be handed over simply because I need it,” she recalls, “but the possibility of attaining what I want is not denied either.”
Reveling in the atmosphere of intellectual growth, her childhood fascination with the diversity of living things found an outlet when she chose biological sciences as a major.
“My career choice is intimately connected to my passion to educate myself by researching and analyzing questions that continue to affect my daily life,” Sasheen explains. Sasheen will attend Cornell, and plans to pursue a B.A. in biochemistry, with an eye towards specializing in forensics.
Two LaGuardia Foundation scholarships helped ease her financial burden: in the fall of 2008 a $300 scholarship allowed her to continue her education, and a Keith Coote Scholarship has provided her with $500 in scholarship support during each semester of the 2008-09, her graduating year. Now she can devote her full attention to struggles under the microscope.
As a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Research Scholar she logged 30 hours a week working with LaGuardia biology Professor Thomas Onorato last summer. Her plans this summer include a stint as a research assistant to a professor at Cornell through the Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP).
Sasheen joined Alpha Theta Phi, LaGuardia’s chapter of the international honor society for two-year colleges, Phi Theta Kappa, during her second semester. Starting out as secretary, she is now president. She also works as a reading tutor in LaGuardia’s Communication Skills Department.
Although she says balancing her coursework and other activities can be a challenge, her calm, graceful demeanor hints at a deep inner reserve of confident resourcefulness.
Last December, Sasheen took first prize for a poster presentation of her research on the reproductive abilities of male fruit flies at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in San Francisco. She competed against 20 undergraduates from across the nation -mainly juniors and seniors from four-year institutions. Along with a $200 reward for first place, the conference also provided an opportunity to network with fellow students, researchers and faculty from all over the country.
“It was spectacular,” says Sasheen of her experience at the conference. “I saw how much diversity there is within the science field.”
She even received personal mentoring: Dr. Deborah Hinds from the University of Massachusetts medical school invited Sasheen and a fellow student to breakfast, where she offered advice on everything from transfer options to career paths, urging them to keep their ultimate goal in view and develop long-term plans.
During her time at LaGuardia, Sasheen created a safe haven of friends that became like family, encouraging her to keep pushing forward with her dreams. She’s passing it on.
“The privilege of being the first in my family to attend college is something I want to share with my brothers, so I call to help them with their homework, and send them money for tuition,” she says.
Goal, match.
Article by Lara Moon