Graduation Speech : My Goals

How are you doing? This is Will, the tall black guy you would sometimes see in service. I'm writing to say goodbye. My project in Carson City came to an end and I've moved back to Texas. Thank you so much for making me feel at home at Hope. Your messages kept me going while I was in Reno. God used your words to truly bless me and also show me where I need to improve. Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye in person, but everything happened so fast.

Students in today’s society are not adequately prepared in high school to enter and take on the challenges of college. Yet, millions of high school graduates dive right in because that is what they are expected to do. We are setting them up for failure by having this unrealistic expectation that students can succeed unprepared. According to The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, nearly 60% of all first-time college students in the United States discover that despite being fully eligible to attend college, they are not ready for postsecondary studies.

I always expected to feel differently when applying for college, and especially when getting accepted. But it did not go quite how I had always pictured. I had been out of school and working, and started to lose the urgency or desire to leave for college right away. I was not ready to leave home and all my loved ones and so I slacked on keeping up with all the college stuff like I should have been doing. One day I finally applied to the only place I set my sights on, not really expecting much. And to my surprise, I was accepted. There, everything changed.

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.

I first realized I wanted to be a gifted teacher while cadet teaching a gifted class during my senior year of high school. During this time, I worked with the gifted educator who taught me throughout elementary school. I knew from my first moments in the classroom that I could not work in a field other than gifted education. The children inspired me, and the curriculum kept me on my toes. I did not realized then that my love for teaching gifted children would eventually become a love for teaching gifted educators. After having the opportunity to work with educators during professional development and conferences, I realized that I wanted to help teachers meet the needs of their gifted students.

Obtain an overall GPA of 6.5 by November 2018 to guarantee me a place into Psychology Honours in 2019 at UniSA.

According to the 2015 National College Health Assessment, over 85% of college students have felt stressed or overwhelmed in the last year. As an undergraduate, I am fully aware of the pressure we, as students, feel. We are a machines, constantly trying to balance studying, our classes, working, having a social life, and preparing for our future. And we are still expected to get eight hours of sleep every night? I know first hand how this feels. I wake up early every morning, go to class, spend countless hours studying and doing homework between classes, attend more classes, come home, clean, go to work, and study some more. Every day is a work in progress of what I will become in the future. What will be my occupation? How much money will I make per year? How am I going to pay off my student loans? These are all questions college students ask themselves everyday. William Zinsser reflects on his own college experience in his article “College Pressures” and discusses why college students feel such an intense load of pressure these days.

In the fall of my senior year, I am planning on applying to a variety of four year universities, but my absolute dream school would be Brown University. The school is located in Rhode Island and is considered to be a highly liberal university with a very flexible curriculum. I believe that the freedom and independence Brown offers would give me the chance to experience spiritual growth because I don’t necessarily know what I want to do in the future in regards to a career. However, I am aware that Brown is an Ivy League and that it is expensive. I come from a middle to lower class family and I know that without financial aid-there would be no possible way I could afford to attend the school of my dreams. After doing some research, I found

Throughout my academic life, my teachers and peers have repeatedly told me to challenge myself. I chose to ignore that advice and take the easy route. I did not find any reason to challenge myself in school. My parents never attended college, so why should I? Just the thought of being able to afford a fancy college was out of the question.

Higher education is important to me and probably many other people because it gives a person new dream, outlooks, greater job opportunities, and most importantly, it is self-improvement. Going to college takes someone on a journey; a journey of finding one 's self, learning responsibilities, and finding the inspiration deep inside that says, "no matter what comes my way I will fight, I 'll fight to the end because this is important to me". I respect and hold the following quote in my heart to help me on my never-ending journey; "Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated. Those who only live don 't live in reality only those who celebrate live. And, each moment has to become a celebration." (Osho, 1984, p. 47) I try to make every moment a celebration so I can look back and see where I started to where I am at now. I try to take on challenges in life that I have never done before, e.g. writing in APA format and Citing. College helps me take these new challenges head on, so I can stay on the right path in life.

In order for higher education to continue to look attractive to incoming students, it must improve with the current trends of the world. Higher education is changing daily due to the demand of improvements from the student body. A school must have the newest and best opportunities for their students in order to keep the doors open. The following paper will take a closer look at the similarities and differences in technology, safety, and opportunities and challenges faced by today’s students in student affairs.

It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday morning the day after I graduated from Villanova University. My parents were hosting a graduation brunch for me at the scenic Valley Green Inn in Philadelphia’s historic Fairmount Park. There were over a hundred guests present that day, a mix of family, friends, and others who made an impact on me over the course of my life. It was just a few short months away from the beginning of law school.

If someone were to ask me a couple years ago if graduate studies were in my plans, my reply would be “absolutely not!” Back then, there was not really a good reason that motivated me to continue my education after graduating with a degree in Public Health Education. The mere thought of more school exhausted me. Though my mentality seemingly changed, one thing that cannot be denied is my love for the game of basketball, which has been almost cruelly ignored until recently. The countless times trying to live without it has led to me not feeling not quite as upbeat as usual. Even when things were going right in my life, that extra bounce in my step was just not there. While my playing career did not work out the way as desired, I still get a rush from simply being around the game; and then it finally hit me. I realize I can use everything learned through my work experience and previous coursework and apply it towards a career I know I will definitely love. From this point on, I will make moves that will make me happy rather than pleasing those around me. With that being said, this is why I seek to get into the Recreation and Sports Administration program at Western Kentucky University.

My educational experience is just now beginning as of now I am taking an English class also over summer I took an online academic skills class. Although online classes don’t do college justice you don’t really get the full college experience. As of now I am just focusing on my general education then eventually I hope to attend an RN program. So as of my educational experience this far would be high school and as Dweck author of Brainology would say I had a fixed mindset during high school even during grade school. Fixed mindsets care so much about how smart they will appear that they will reject learning opportunities. Which is exactly what I did during high school. Always thought as long as I was passing why try harder to get a better grade. Even if getting a better grade wouldn’t necessarily be hard.

Five years ago, I graduated from high school in Cartagena, Colombia. I almost did not pass my last year of school because my academic grade was not superior, especially in languages, which I had to retake. In addition, I was not clear about my future, and it looked extremely hard to determine what career would be benefit for me. Moreover, my parents worked hard and in many circumstances they limited the basic need for the home or for themselves in order to pay me a higher education level. I was pressured from my family because they were expecting a great career and job for me, and I was not showing a good academic standard. Even more, I was expecting an important and complete change in my life: I was moving to another country, United State of America. Now, I was more concerned about my future education. If I could not demonstrate an excellent or academic performance in Spanish; how could it be better in another language? However, my perspective in education seems more optimistic since I was part of Polk State College through the change of my mind and behavior, the support of the College and the programs, which offer many benefits to those students who one to overcome.