CWI Personal Statement

I am the product of divorced parents, who struggled with substance abuse, but that does not define me. My childhood consisted of poverty-stricken environments; however, I refused to let that dictate the outcome of my life. At the age of ten, I had to assume the role of a fatherly figure to my three siblings, so I missed out on the conventional childhood most would have had. I grew up in east Bakersfield where substance abuse, gangs and criminal acts of violence were a pervasive occurrence, and I resiliently avoided the peer pressures to conform to their way of life. From the ages of 11 to 15, I would work for my grandfather at the local swap meet on the weekends so that I could help my mother make ends meet. I received my worker 's permit at the age of 15, which elevated my ability to help my mother financially as now I earned a set wage. I worked the maximum hours allowed as a minor while balancing my academics and extracurricular school activities at school. Although faced with much adversity early on in life, I managed to be a scholar triathlete in high school and was accepted to California State University, Bakersfield after graduating from Foothill High. I was determined and excited to be the first college graduate in my family, as I understood the economic importance of this achievement. Sadly, after my freshman year of attending the university, I had to put my educational endeavors on hold to assist my mother and siblings further financially.

My mother worked four jobs at once to make financial ends meet, while always stressing the importance of education and financial independence to my brother and myself. My grandmother only achieved a second grade education due to the financial constraints on her family at a young age, but still in the end managed to make certain that of her children and grandchildren had what was needed to flourish and become successful, educated members of the community. The tenacity and history of these two women I still carry with me today. Their struggles have inspired to me to only want more from life, but also serve as a positive role model for the younger members of my community. I observed from other family members how an education can open a multitude of doors and opportunities. I want to make the biggest and most significant on my community and on my family as possible, and the only foreseeable path is to achieve a college education to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and connections needed to flourish and implement positive

I landed my first job at the age of 15, the same year I passed the Accuplacer Placement test and enrolled at Edmonds Community College as a full-time Running Start student. I am the youngest of five children and although my parents needed the financial help, getting a job and education at such a young age was ultimately my choice. Aside from growing up with four older brothers, my parents put me into the school system one year early. As the youngest at school and home, I grew an insatiable need to prove myself. I chose to work hard early in life because I wasn’t going to let my circumstance define me.

There has not been a financial challenge I've faced in my life that amounts to the one that I face as a financially independent college student. In highschool they emphasize the idea of getting accepted into college, but never on how do you stay in college. All my life it has been considered ideal and fairly simple to go to high school, then to college, and from there you’ll be fine. I believed that it would be as simple as getting a plethora of scholarships and grant money. I believed loans,if any, would be easily obtainable and not a big deal. The cost of college is far greater than I could ever imagine. You see, the financial cost is one burden, but let us consider the by products of the financial burden of college. There is the physical cost, the mental cost, the social cost, etc.

When divorce and poverty strike a household, statistics show that a student’s potential can take the hit, but these events actually taught me to leap over any kind of hurdle I face. At the same time, my parent’s divorce and the Great Recession ate up our limited savings, and I was told my future dreams were no longer realistic, so college would be out of the question. Disappointed, I kept my nose to the grindstone to prove my parents wrong, and I found that my career is only limited by my work ethic, and I could succeed no matter what I was told I could do. My work inside and outside of the classroom made me an honored student at Howell High School and a volunteer recognized by the state of Michigan’s recreation department. Just as these plans

Everything in my life occurred backwards. I married at age 17 and started a family. My children were my motivation. Postsecondary education seemed impossible. Guidance and a support system were absent from my life. The process for attaining an education seemed so complicated. Postsecondary education seemed so foreign to me. I struggled through paying for one class at a time due to the absence of knowledge about financial aid. Unfortunately, I did not have a counselor that mentored me throughout the process. Nine years later through aspirations for my children, I finally achieved my Associates’ Degree from a community college. Unfortunately, at this time, I never acknowledged my success of receiving a degree.

When I was young I had not any educational goals. My father had not graduated from high school and I don’t remember him (or my mother) ever mentioning me going to college. And, as mentioned previously he spent my $3,000 life’s savings which would have put me through the University of Arizona. I was ambivalent about going to college when I graduated from high school, but I signed up in large part to stay out of the military and Vietnam. I had an interest in aviation and in making things so I signed up for Aerospace engineering. At that point I was working 20-25 hours a week to be able to afford the next semester’s tuition, gas for the Hillman, and occasional nights out which didn’t help my studies.

After living in three different foster care homes in the middle of South Dallas, I was adopted into a low income household. My adopted parents drilled in me the importance of having a college degree, father a middle school drop-out and mother just a high school graduate. I became the first-generation college graduate in 2014, just to show my siblings that your background does not predict the level of education you can receive. My mother taught me that repetitive style of learning in a simplified form was best in my early ages of school. Growing up with a learning disability, I was behind other students that was five years old; since I did not start talking until I was five. My parents were patience with me when it came to my education, making

Parents are starting to question of the importance of a college degree and its importance to a successful life. Society says “without college you have very little opportunity to make something of yourself” or find a well paying job… but many people have fought against those odds to pursue their dream, drop out of college and become successful doing it. Why? Because they knew what they wanted to do and college wasn't the only key to their success. Although some do receive college education, some are left with large sums of debt with a career/job that can’t pay it off like they planned. College is not the only key to success.

As a child of two parents who never graduated high school, I often heard the phrase “To miss an opportunity is to miss the chance at growth.” I am Jose Crespo; a sophomore Accountancy major at Northern Illinois University. Throughout my life, I’ve had many opportunities to become a better individual, and I can attribute those opportunities to my education. When I was younger, I was always taught that education was a major key to a successful future because it unlocks vast amounts of experiences and it shows resilience. If a person can balance his or her education with his or her life circumstances, then he or she can accomplish anything; my grandmother is responsible for this belief. She always wanted me to further my education and put it

While I was in high school I wasn’t fully committed to my studies and believed I didn’t have the potential it took to get into college. I graduated high school early when I first turned 17 through a early graduated program because I followed the wrong crowd and believed I wouldn’t be accepted to a university anyways. After I graduated high school I wanted to move out on my own and get a low paying job and apartment so I could support myself because I was always worried about being a burden to my family. Struggling to make ends meet every month really gave me a good work ethic because this was the first time I experienced having to make ends-meet. I worked until the end of my 6-month lease and eventually ended up moving back in with my parents

About nine years ago now – when I turned eighteen and received my G.E.D. – I was under the impression that a higher education was definitely not an option for me, and honestly, it wasn’t. Due to my knowledge of this, along with the fact that I was hired right away at what was my “dream job” at the time, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t ever need or want a higher education; I accepted the fact that my family nor I could afford to put me through college and made the best of it. Yet here I am, 27 years old and just beginning my journey through college, because I need to, and because I want to. In this reflection paper I’ll cover the highlights

Working long and laborious, only getting one day a week off, I didn’t give college a second thought. Yet, I still grew tired and bored of the work. Which lead to calling in sick to work, and working less just to hang out with the wrong crowd of people. Then reality kicked in, again. Realizing that I was a naïve brat who did not think that anyone else truly mattered, and getting into serious trouble with my parents (and ultimately with myself), I knew I needed to surround myself with positive support and influence. After months of going to see councilors and talking to friends I had an epiphany: I was wrong. Finally, I understood my parents, they were right all along and had only wanted what was best for me. At last I was able to look through a mature lens: my parents did everything that they could to teach me but I didn’t want to listen. I was just self-serving, everyone and everything matters and the world does not revolve around just one

By my mid-20’s, my life seemed ideal from the outside looking in. I had established a very successful marketing career and was marching up the proverbial ladder, obtaining one fancy job title after another without a college degree. I had a nice home, paid cash for my car, and made more money than most in my family ever had before. I attended all the most sought after social events and knew all the right people. In many ways, I even believed the facade, but the reality behind the scenes was very different. My childhood was atypical. My mom decided to go to college when I was five years old, and completed her master’s degree by the time I was eleven. My brothers and I spent so much time at the university that one professor often joked we should

I started my education with my dreams in mind. I enrolled at Parkland College and that is where I developed an interest in health. While I was on my journey and completing my bachelor’s degree. I ran into some unforeseen obstacles: doctor visits, paranoia, and a couple of biopsies of the breast. I was commuting to school, working two jobs, and taking care of two kids. In which, I was paranoid and afraid of test results. I thought the worst that I would be lost again. I immediately started to instill in my kids that education is a very powerful tool that can never be taken away. They also knows that my degree is “the key”, it will help me buy our house. With all of that being said, I managed and kept my grades above average.