Sista’s Keeper
I AM my Sista’s Keeper
November 2017 Vol. 5, Issue 2
Spotlight: Top Chef Contestants Jasmine & Rahanna Diabetes Basics College Prep Timeline
Thanksgiving Issue
Colby Christina Talks Thinking & Dreaming BIG
Think Big,
Dream Big & Soar!
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Colby Christina does it all! She is an actress, singer, dancer, motivational speaker, model and choreographer. hen Colby Christina began her career at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Center for Arts and Culture Youth Arts Academy, she was only two years old. The now 16-year-old college-bound high school senior is a member of the Restoration Youth Arts Academy Company and veteran Student Ambassador. “I started dancing at the age of two at the academy so I’ve been there for almost 15 years, basically all of my life,” she says. “My mom danced there and I’m the only girl that she had so she put me in the dance class there to train with great teachers like one of her teachers, Dr. Baba Charles ‘Chuck’ Davis. While there, I got into singing, more dancing, and eventually off/on Broadway theater and community. I got my start & training foundation at the Youth Arts Academy very early in my life.” November 2017
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School &Career Balance Colby is often asked how she balances school and career, with her answer being that she has to manage and observe her time. “I don’t want to be stressed so I know when it’s time to stop or switch gears,” she says. “I see people in my family as hard-workers and everyone does something different. I get my example from them and it works really well.” Theater Background
Colby has performed to sold out audiences in the Billie Holiday Theater at Restoration in the lead role of Alice in “The Liberation of Mother Goose” and played Emma in “The Emancipation of Sandy Wills”. She is also working on two projects that she has coming up and she just opened in the role of Rhonda in “Leaves” this Winter 2017. She credits triple threat, Peggy Alston, Emeritus Director of the BSRCAC, with helping her to be a formidable triple threat. The BSRCAC has a rich history of people who have trained and come through Restoration and moved forward in their careers. Notable alumni of the Billie Holiday Theater, where Colby got her theater start also housed at Restoration include Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Allen, Tichina Arnold and Obba Babatunde to name a few. Colby received the AUDELCO “Rising Star” Award at the age of 13 for excellence in Black Theatre and joined the ranks of other recipients like Denzel Washington, Kerry Washington, Sanaa Lathan and others who received the same award when they were a bit older than Colby. 18
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November 2017
Black Theater Festival Colby was selected as the Celebrity Teen Co-Chair for the National Black Theater Festival. She served as Teen Chair in 2015 & 2017. “This is a very huge festival where I conducted programs, mentoring workshops and a talent show with more than 6,000 teens, tweens and Millennials for an entire week,” she says. “I also served as the Grand Marshall of the parade.” Former Festival chairs and attendees include, Dr. Maya Angelou, Louis Gossett, Oprah Winfrey, Ossie and Ruby Dee, Ted Lange and Lamman Rucker to name a few. Dance Inspiration
Colby draws inspiration for dancing and choreography based on her extensive training. “I’ve had different teachers who had things to offer: Ballet, African, Tap, Modern, Horton and Hip-Hop,” she says. When she develops a dance, she says that the inspiration comes from within. “I put my emotions into it and what mind & body feel in the moment.” “It depends on how I feel. I use it as a way to escape & display different feelings & emotions. You don’t force feeling because it should be natural and authentic so I just let it out.” Colby says that there is not a particular discipline that she enjoys more than another. She receives equal training in each and wants to be prepared & trained in all things. “Each discipline came in at a different time and at different stages of my life so each has a different impact. What you can’t do with one you can with another so all are equal in some
About Colby
Birthday: May 29 Age: 16 Hometown: New York, NY
Favorite Food: Variety Favorite Color: Turquoise/teal Hobbies: Cooking, mentoring, teaching dance, and fashion What’s on your iPod? New Edition, 90’s R&B groups & R&B soul
Connect w/ We’ ms_colbychristina @1COLBYCHRISTINA
way. Colby believes that life is not about being perfect but making your way through your ups and downs. “Everyone has challenges and obstacles but it’s up to you to make your own definition of success,” she says. “Life is what you make it so just be your own natural authentic self and you will be fine.” Put Your Best Foot Forward
Colby launched a campaign called “Think Big, Dream Big & Soar” where she encourages young girls to put their best foot forward no matter what. “Don’t dumb yourself down to fit in with anyone. Go for your goals and don’t minimize yourself,” she says. “Take it to a new level and go get what you want in life.” Colby also has her own show called
“Colby’s Corner - Real Teen Talk TV” where she talks to younger teens & mentors them. Being Your Sista’s Keeper
Colby is the only girl in her immediate family but she has the pleasure of building relationships with her sisters every where she goes and at the BSRCAC. “Restoration was like a family so I acquired lots of sisters from there and it really was a learning family atmosphere under Ms. Peggy Alston and my other great teachers,” she says. “I do have sisters in other places who I look after. It’s great to have a sisterhood of girls you can connect with.” Colby defines being your “sista’s keeper” as being there for something and having the same in return. “Someone who wants to uplift you, have fun, and look out for each other. It is an unbreakable bond that no one can come in between.” November 2017
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Getting Ready
Education Feature
This college prep timeline provided by Minnesota Office of Higher
In 9th & 10th Grade
7th & 8th Grade • Begin thinking about the high school classes that will prepare you for college. Take the most difficult classes you can handle. • Ask your parents or teachers to help you develop good study habits. • Practice setting and reaching goals. • Volunteer in your community. • Take interest and skills assessments to help you think about possible career options. • Talk with your school counselor and parents about careers that interest you want to explore. • Create a tentative high school class plan. • Enroll in a summer enrichment program. 20
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• Take interest and skills assessments to help you explore careers options.
• Review your high school class plan. Take the most difficult classes you can handle. Stay focused on your schoolwork.
• Talk with your school counselor about career options and the education required for those careers. • Sign up for classes that will earn college credit • Talk with your parents during your junior year about saving and paying through Advanced for college. Placement, International Baccalaureate, • Talk with friends, Postsecondary teachers, counselors Enrollment Options or and your parents about College in the Schools. college. • Check if your school requires 10th graders to take the PLAN to prepare for the ACT.
• Explore internships and apprenticeships. • Enroll in a summer enrichment program.
• Participate in extracurricular activities.
Want to go to college? It’s never too late to prepare... For more information, visit: http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg. cfm?pageID=1176
November 2017
For College
Education
Education will show you what you need to do to get ready for college.
In 11th Grade • Attend college and financial aid events. • Mentor others and have a mentor for yourself. • Take the PSAT in the fall to prepare for the SAT, and to identify areas where you need improvement. • Consider possible career options and investigate the type of education that is needed. • Request materials from schools that interest you and visit their websites. • Arrange campus visits to those schools that interest you. • Participate in extracurricular activities. • Request admissions and financial aid forms. • Sign up for classes that will earn college credit during your senior year through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Postsecondary Enrollment Options or College in the Schools. • Register for and take the ACT and/or SAT in the spring. • Review your high school class plan. Take the most difficult classes you can handle. Stay focused on your schoolwork. Make sure you are meeting your high school graduation requirements. • Enroll in a summer enrichment program. • Get a job to earn and save money for college, or explore your skills through an internship or apprenticeship. • Research private scholarship options.
Feature
In 12th Grade • Stay focused on your schoolwork and take the most difficult classes you can handle. • Take career interest assessments and determine the education needed for careers that interest you. • Participate in extracurricular activities. • Volunteer in the community.
December-February • Apply to four or more colleges that interest you. Some may have earlier or later deadlines. (Make copies of each application.) • Attend a financial aid event if you haven’t already done so. Review a copy of Paying for College. • Apply for scholarships offered by the colleges to which you have applied. • Apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1. You and your parents will need the previous year’s income tax information to complete the it. • Review you Student Aid Report (SAR) for accuracy.
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By eighth grade, only half as many girls as boys are interested in math, science, and engineering careers. If each of us gives a girl our time and support today, she can find the courage, confidence, and character she’ll need to build a better tomorrow.