[MUSIC PLAYING]
Grandma.
[INAUDIBLE]
I know he going to do what he got
to do, because he a small kid.
It's huge.
I know, right?
I'm in Corning Community College,
and I've been here for a week.
Bye, Ruddy.
Without her, I don't know where I would be.
She's always there for me.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
This is why Freshman 15 has hit us.
Look at this.
Calzones.
We got pizza.
Got some sushi.
Freshman 15 is crazy.
The Freshman 15, it's really real.
The Freshman 15 is definitely real.
You can get, like whatever you want.
We have a free meal plan, so you can swipe whenever.
Come on.
It's all-you-can-eat.
I love that.
It's awesome!
Let me go to the dining hall, catch a little bite.
And a little bite turns into a whole meal.
Taco Tuesday, Wing Wednesday.
I've gained 10 pounds since I got here.
It's been a month.
It's really bad.
I'm the only person that's not gaining weight.
And I don't understand why.
[GIGGLING]
In a community where only 4% of the kids go to college,
students come from homes where the homes sometimes
have no food.
These kids have overcome all kinds of things,
and all they want to do is go to college.
And we reached out to the people at Walmart.
They want to give each one of you a four-year scholarship.
[CHEERING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I cannot wait to see in four years what these young people
are going to do.
I can't wait to see how we helped launch their lives.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm so happy I don't live, like, further down.
These hallways are long.
And I'm just lazy.
I feel like I've been here for three months.
In reality, I've only been here for like three weeks.
But it seem like it's been a while.
My mom was emotional taking me to college.
And I was emotional, as well.
Don't cry.
I'm all right.
I'm OK.
OK, bye.
I got over it quicker than she did.
I don't get emotional a lot.
Like, for me to cry and stuff like that,
it seemed unreal, because that's not like me at all.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I felt like I handle it differently
because I watch my surroundings.
We grew up in a tough environment,
and showing weakness showed you're not
ready for that type of lifestyle.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Growing up in Bed-Stuy, we had to always hold our own,
you know.
Show that we're not weak or anything.
Do you think showing emotion is a weakness?
Everyone cries.
Everyone shows sadness.
Everyone shows emotions once in a while.
Whether it's in front of people or not, we all show emotions.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Well, actually, I'm doing much better.
Much better.
The first two weeks, Ruddy kept calling me and calling me.
One o'clock in the morning he was calling me.
It was scaring me because I thought something was going on.
But somebody did a fire alarm at his school,
so everybody had to evacuate.
Then a couple of days later, somebody
flooded the whole school.
Then he was calling me, oh, I need three books.
I got to pay for it.
There was so much going on the first two weeks.
So much.
He only called me when he had the problems.
But I've been calling him.
He haven't been answering.
So I've been texting.
Part of me feel like he forgetting about me.
He don't call me that much.
I have to call him.
Sometime he don't answer.
He calls me back later.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
So first week of class went good for you?
Yeah.
You like your teachers?
Yep.
My English teacher looks like Ellen DeGeneres.
What a coininky-dinky.
[LAUGHTER]
It is actually a really big culture shock.
Because like, I'm used to taking the bus to school.
I'm not used to walking just next door to where
I live to go to a class.
Thank you, Madam.
This library's huge compared to my high school.
Of course it is.
Ooh, it smells like brown sugar oatmeal up in here.
There's books.
Oh.
How do you get to books though?
You have to--
Twist it?
I never did this ever in my life.
I just made my own aisle.
This is lit.
What if you've had to live in houses like this?
It'd be awesome, I'm sure.
Am
I would make the best of it.
I would take all these people, like, all these people
would all come in one circle and have a party.
For real.
With some Capri Suns.
Capri Suns?
Do you have a book by Ellen DeGeneres?
We might.
Let me open that back up for you.
You guys do know that's my favorite person.
You know that, right?
How do you spell her last name?
Ooooh!
[LAUGHTER]
I feel weird asking.
It's D-- D-E-G-E-N-O-- no.
E-R-O-U-S. Dang.
E-R?
Dang.
Unfortunately, we don't have anything by her.
That's a shame.
Ohhh.
If you wanted to make a request for it.
Yeah.
I'll request it for you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
So, like, we all get along really well.
It's not like an issue or anything
Yeah, you know, you would think with three college-aged boys
living in a room together, that it would be absolute chaos.
But everyone gets along, and it's really, really good.
Who's the messiest of the three of you?
Me, for sure.
No.
I don't think so, actually.
No, I'm definitely--
But honestly, we usually--
the roommates like kept clean at all times, which
is really surprising.
Yeah, I don't know.
Whose the loudest?
That would be me.
[LAUGHTER]
That would definitely be you.
That would be me.
I just feel more--
well, first I feel more free.
You know, in terms of family and stuff.
I'm away from home, so I don't have
to worry about my grandma begin, like, you have to come home
now, at 7 p.m. or whatever.
I'm more connected with everyone who
has the same interests as me.
Back in high school, we all like different things and stuff.
Now that I go to an art school, it's
like we all have the same mindset.
We all, like, are dedicated to our craft and our art.
And we all stay focused, which is
something I love being a part of and being surrounded by.
Yeah.
I do a lot though.
I do a lot.
So I'm an actor.
I also rap.
Do a little.
He's so, like, multi-talented.
So he would like play the piano while rapping at the same time.
And I'm like, wow, I can't do that.
[LAUGHTER]
Like, wow, that's really good.
No, but, like, he's really good.
If y'all want to hear something, like actually I have a little--
No, please, listen to one of his songs.
It's, like, so good on a spiritual level.
Let's hear it.
2017, America kind of seems like a parody of itself.
I mean, the times are changing.
Look how we changing with it.
We went from the first black president
to a not my president.
Now we at the precipice of the ending that seems evident.
Why is that?
Is it because I'm black?
Is it because of the melanin of my skin so radiant in the sun?
Or maybe I'm just a raisin ready to be burnt, ready to be
left so cold in the dirt.
And it appears that apocalypse is getting closer.
And we--
That's all I got so far.
Yeah, that was off the top.
That was something for y'all, so.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm going to try to FaceTime my mom right now
and see if she answers.
She's going to be excited to speak to me though.
[RINGING]
Hi, mommy.
Hi, Ruddy-poo.
You FaceTimed me?
Oh, I am so happy to see you.
Oh, wow.
You don't call me like you-- you don't call me.
I do call you.
No, you don't call me.
I text you.
No, but I call you back.
I could be FaceTiming her more.
I take responsibility for that.
But I like to text more than I like to speak on the phone.
But I feel like we speak a lot.
Maybe just not enough for her though.
You didn't forget about me?
No, I would never forget about you.
Oh, okay.
Oh, I miss you.
Oh, I miss you, too.
All right.
I'm going to go back to work.
OK.
Love you.
Love you, too.
Bye.
See?
Progress.
The first day.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What test you have today?
My arts history exam.
It won't be that hard.
It's mostly multiple choice.
I think there's going to be a difference between high school
and college though.
I think I'm really, like, need to start studying a lot.
I realize the competition here is really high.
So like, back in high school, there
wasn't many photographers or people in my interest.
But now that I'm here, everyone wants to do the same thing.
So it made me more serious, and it made me want to work harder.
It's just not the environment of scraping by or just getting by.
Like, if you want to do well, you're
going to have to put the work in.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, what's up?
I miss him a lot.
That was my running partner.
We used to go places together or he
would go to the store for me.
So I miss that.
Especially when I don't want to come back home by myself.
I used to take him with me and this way,
I have somebody to come back with.
Well, we're going to see him tomorrow.
Did you have a message you want us to--
You can tell him he can call home sometime.
Still been calling his sister phone.
I don't be on his sister phone, I be home.
You can tell him that.
Call his grandmother.
Quincy said hi.
See?
I just got off the phone.
He calls her.
He don't call home.
Look, Quincy.
And say hi.
Hi, grandma.
You have to call me, not Queena.
I want to talk to you, too.
Grandma, you need an iPhone.
You have to be down with us.
Are you crying?
Wipe your tears, you're crying.
Who asked you to tell the world?
You're emotional.
[LAUGHING]
I'm going to hurt you.
Grandma, you're emotional.
How your grades doing?
My classes are going really well.
I passed both my first two exams that I took last week.
You miss home?
I do.
I know.
Because we miss you, too.
Oh, stop.
You're making me emotional.
See?
See, that's why I don't like calling there all the time.
[INAUDIBLE]
All right.
Here.
I'm going to give you Chris, because this is Chris' phone.
All right
See what he say?
He miss home.
That's the key word.
As long as you miss home, you good.
Feel good to see him though.
Because usually I just talk to him on the phone.
I don't see his face and stuff.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I enjoy him.
I miss him.
[MUSIC PLAYING]