CREATING A NEW EXPECTATION
Jontai Blanding’s list of reasons for attending college might sound familiar to any student: Learn new skills, broaden his world view, prepare for a career.
But for the 24-year-old first-generation graduate from the small town of St. Stephen, the stakes were much higher.
“I took it upon myself to open a new door for my family,” Blanding said. “The cycle just cannot contin- ue, having no college graduates in the family.”
Blanding’s mother raised him, his younger sister and older brother alone, with help from her parents. Though she hoped to expand on her two years of college, she put the family first, working multiple jobs to provide, Blanding said.
She taught them to value higher education at a young age.
“She always had the mindset that we would do more than she did,” Blanding said. “She always pushed us.”
As a high school sophomore, he discovered a knack for accounting. And while his older brother, Jeremy, enlisted in the Air Force, Blanding opted to pursue accounting.
His approach to college was methodical.
He chose Winthrop, a nationally recognized, mid-size school with accessible faculty. He figured it would ac- climate him to the world of higher education before he transferred to a bigger campus.
But he was hooked.“Winthrop is just the right size,” he said. “It’s big enough so that you can get that mid-size to large-school experience where there’s always something to do. But it’s also small enough to where faculty and students alike can actually make a true impact on lives.”
Blanding thrived on campus, starting as an Orienta- tion counselor in the TRiO student support program then rising to Orientation student director to help run the organization.
He also became a member of honor societies and helped re-establish the Gentlemen’s League, a service organization aiming to empower minority males.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree with honors, Blanding enrolled in Winthrop’s Graduate School and went on to earn an M.B.A. with account- ing emphasis.
Stepping across the graduation stage in May to claim his second college diploma was a seminal moment.
“It’s another milestone that I have achieved,” he said. “It’s another checkpoint that I have reached. And quite honestly, it’s another bar that I have raised for myself and for my family. Now the expectation in my family is to be a college graduate.”
His next steps were on his career path. In August, he started working as a risk assurance associate for the accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He’s also nearly completed the Certified Public Accountant exam.
While thrilled with his success, there’s one outcome he holds especially dear.
Earlier this fall, his younger sister, Ja’Maria, began her freshman year at Winthrop.
“I’m glad she’s following in my footsteps,” Blanding said.
Watch Blanding and other recent graduates describe their Win- throp experiences and view more about the Graduate School.
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