Graduation Speech : Becoming A College Student

A higher education has been an important priority in my life. While I realized a high school education was important, my parents expected more. They said if I wanted to succeed in life, a college education was something that I could not live without. What they don’t tell you is how exhausting and confusing the process is to get even into.

I noticed you sent an announcement out about seeing our grade as of Friday in the handout section, but when I try and click on that section there is no link for it. Also, from what I can recall, on the quizzes, and Rocketmix I am not doing well in your class and would like any and all suggestions you have for me. I'm feeling upset with myself as I've been doing well in all of my classes since attending the CSUDH I'm on track to graduate Summa Cum Laude. I have had many struggles in the past with school and getting my first Associates degree and I believe being a first generation college student did not help matter but now 10 years have past since my first degree and I've learned to be a better college student since then and going into

II. Main Point (state as a single declarative sentence): The progress that I have made helped me lead up to writing well-developed essays. The main reason I believe my essays are improved because of the time I take on my pre-writing.

In today’s society, going to college is expected of teens. As a teen, it seems like everyone is going to some type of higher education, whether it’s a trade school, community college, or a university. For aspiring writers, going to college for some type of writing degree is a great debate in itself. The most popular issues with going on to higher education is how expensive it is, and the necessity of a degree for writing (spoiler alert: it isn’t actually required). However, there are also other issues to consider when wanting to be a writing such as the purpose of a degree for writing, finance for getting into college, a wide-range of skills,

Colin Powell once said, "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." The secret to success is preparation; however, preparation for college does not come easy, and there is only so far you can go by preparing yourself. I tried that, and if you look at my first college semester grades you can see that did not work. High school really is only there to prepare you for college; however, not everyone goes to college, and there is only so far you can go with a high school diploma. You really have to go to college to succeed, but when you come to college everyone is on different levels academically. Some come to college not even knowing what they want to major in. That is absolutely inexcusable of the high school system, which should better prepare students for college and their future careers.

“Congratulations! You have been accepted to Bentley University for fall of 2015!” Words could not express how ecstatic this message made me. As soon as the acceptance email popped up on my phone, I screamed, dropped my backpack, and sprinted over to my track and field teammates to celebrate this triumphant occasion. After years of challenging AP courses, eleven seasons of tiring school sports, and countless extracurricular clubs, I finally felt like all of my hard work had paid off. At that moment, the only thought in my head was “I’m going to Bentley!” My dream — an aspiration I’ve had since my freshman year of high school — was becoming a reality.

Wow, I dedicated my lifetime and knowledge to a company for fourteen years, without warning I find myself unemployed without a degree! I thought the company that I worked for would be there forever. I assumed that the commitment, dedication and knowledge would be enough; I never considered that one day the company would cease to exist. I never attempted to complete my degree after taking this job, I was told that a degree would never impact my employment or the pay; looking back I realize that was flawed thinking. I find myself enrolling in school at the age of forty eight, needing a degree, in order to take care of my family. My children will be entering college in the next year; I will need to be in a position financially to ensure that happens. In this paper, I will share the challenges that I will face by returning to college, I have narrowed the many challenges and these are the two, which I believe will impact me the most.

In the spring of 2014, I graduated as valedictorian from Klukwan High School located in the Panhandle of Alaska. During my high school career, I maintained status on the high honor roll and received the title of Student of the Month the first month of every school year for four years. In 2011 and 2012, I was selected to attend the Youth Leadership Institute in Anchorage as a student delegate for the Chatham School District. There, I met other high school students from all over Alaska. We spent our time at the conference exercising our newfound leadership skills in fun icebreaker games and group activities. We also learned about our own unique leadership styles, and how we can apply them to various situations back home or anywhere.

Coming in as a freshman I did not understand the point of soundings. I remember sitting in the FAC, and hoping the soundings was not going to last for a long time. We all did not know what to expect. I was surrounded by a group of freshman who were also experiencing soundings for the first time too. Not only were they trying to adjust to the transition of high school to college, but also the trying to get to know other classmates. At the end of the first Soundings, I had to admit that I actually enjoyed watching the performance. In the back of my head I was still thinking how I was going to find time to attend six events. As I kept attending the different Sounding events each and every one were interesting to be in their own way. I thought to myself that maybe after all attending six was not going to be that bad. Soundings became not just a class that I had to attend to get credit for. It opened my eyes and influenced me personally, my study in my major, and my future plans.

Growing up, all I ever heard was the word college. From the old days of kinder garden and especially up until senior year of high school my entire life revolved around what college I wanted to go to. I believe that most people see a college education as a luxury, a grand accomplishment. There’s many different type of colleges to go to; community college, state universities, and so on. For me, the biggest thing is not where I go to college. For me, the biggest thing is simply to finish my college education and be able to walk across a stage and receive my diploma. A college education is valuable to me because it will help me in life. I will benefit from a college education career-wise, financially, and personally.

Going to college can be a very rewarding experience for a traditional, or non-traditional student who wants to go back to school. More money on a paycheck can be a reason why someone would want to presume their education. Another reason why someone would want to go on to college would be to increase their intellect so they can be more sophisticated in life. Someone might also want to further their education because college teaches your life skills. A college education can be very rewarding for a traditional or nontraditional student by making more money, more intellect, and learning life skills for the world.

A decade or two ago, a college education was considered more so a privilege rather than a choice. Today, our society takes education for granted by opting out of it because of the expenses, the stress and many other reasons that comes with going to school. Is a college education still worth having? Arguments will continually arise that it is no longer needed to be successful in today’s world. However, research and statistics continually prove that having one will remain far more beneficial than not earning one. Your time in college is the prime time for you to explore your options, make lifelong connections, and discover your strengths and weaknesses while working to earn something that will give you the feeling of pride. Life after college is significantly better for college graduates because they attract high paying employers which in turn will help earn a higher income, not to mention the added perks that will provide security and satisfaction in life. Above all those reasons, getting an education is an example and a legacy you can pass on to your children.

Do you ever wonder if the students in high school are thinking about going to the next level after graduation? Its defiantly one of the best ideas to make and that’s from my own personal experience. College isn’t for everyone; we all know that saying. But what people don’t understand is how far they can grow in your dreams and careers in the future. Transitioning from high school to college is a big step forward, even though; most students aren’t ready for college but they have amazing high schools that give them everything they need so they are able to succeed in their future college lives.

In this the future is dependent on the amount of education has been attended. It is important to continue in a higher education to have a successful future: earning a college degree is all about opening opportunities in life. The process of getting a college degree will prepare and help build confidence in order to become successful. In the article “Income Gap Between Young College and High School Grads Widens” by Kurtzleben, states “People with college degrees have a far easier time finding a job than those without a degree.” It is helpful to know that having a college degree will make life easier. It is entirely understandable that some people simply don 't like school; however, attending and increase the amount of education received, increase the ability to be successful. It is well known that college class takes a majority part of a daily life it could also be expensive. Although college is a significant amount of expense, that should not be the reason not to attend, the pay boost of a degree usually pays for itself and still leave some money for other expenses. In this article a man was having trouble paying for his college expenses; but he realize with the amount of money he makes it was possible, “I made pretty good progress on my debt my first year out of school, paying back almost $7,000” ("How I Paid off $34,579 in Student Loans in under 4 Years"). A college major is an important factor to consider in life; it is an excellent opportunity to start

When I decided to go back to college and get my degree, I was so determined to get started, I really didn’t think about what it would entail. Being ambitious and motivated, I decided to take four (4) classes on top of a busy schedule. Although the classes are divided into two classes each eight weeks it’s still a lot of work on a full-time schedule. I work full-time in the federal government as a Specialist Assistant to the Director in the Office of Legislation and I take care of my eighty-two (82) year old mom and seventeen (17) year old son. I also commute from Germantown to DC every day and most nights I don’t get home until 7:30 at night. I never knew what I was getting myself into I was just excited to get started. When I went to Frederick Community College, I took four (4) classes and received all A’s and made the Dean’s list but I took classes on campus. Given the fact that I received A’s in the past I just assumed that I could take four classes again and have the same result.