Growing Up In The Bronx, New York

To many high school students, college seems like a far away land, a mysterious place where everyone wants to be yet not many know how to get there. As children, our parents tell us how much time we have to think about college, and that it is too far down the line to think about. The truth is it is never too early to think about your future. I, like many people, put little thought into my future career and now am lost in an unfortunate mix of indecision and anxiety. Not knowing where you want to be in the future is a hard burden to bear. Many of us tend to find out that we only know what we do not want, not what we actually do want. Do we want to be poor? Absolutely not. Do we want a boring job? Of course we don’t. We all want our

If growing up in New York City has taught me anything, it is the gift of optimism and to never give up on your dreams. Even at twenty two while being withdrawn from university, I am still always learning important new life lessons and new things that improve me, and make me not only stronger as a business person and entrepreneur, but my own humanity and existence as well. Being in my own corner of the country can feel disorienting at times, especially when visiting family in other parts of the states. It feels like you are given a brief glimpse through a window at a completely different way of life, despite being relatively close. I feel the next step to learning more about my self and giving me even more of a strong edge is to complete my

However, some, such as Gerald Graff, argue that colleges and schools are missing opportunities when nonacademic interests of the students are not taken into the classroom. For example, he claims that his schooling was unable to foster his interest in sports or other “nonacademic” interests. However, I would claim that this is false considering there are majors that can foster one’s interest in sports such as sports journalism, sports broadcasting, and exercise science. In fact, I would argue that college allows one to follow their dreams. For example, I met a counselor who was originally was a plumber for thirty years of his life. When I asked why he changed careers he responded with, “I had full support from my family to go back to school, and ultimately I wanted to do something more fulfilling with my life. And now I am doing what I have always liked to do that is talking to people” To make this change he had to first earn his bachelor’s degree and then his masters thus accumulating debt. In addition, he had to take wage cut of 50,000 dollars a year. Despite this he had absolutely no regrets with the decision he made.

When I was younger my biggest passion was helping animals and the ones that I was closest too. If I did not put my effort into school, maintaining my grades and school work I was not allowed to leave the house. Which meant I would not be able to find animals who needed my attention and spend time with my friends or family. As I continue my education, school work was becoming more than just an everyday need in life but it became a passion to me. To learn so much about the things I loved I had to learn to do them. The different emotion I felt is what captured my attention, I was thrilled to learn about the emotional state. As I continue my undergraduate work and I progressed with it, I found I had bigger interests in Counseling. I begin motivating myself in my psychology work not only at school but at home too.

When I was growing up, my parents always encouraged me to do well in school and to go college to create a better and brighter future for myself. Growing up with parents that did not even finish middle school, I always knew that I wanted to go to college, but once I reached my senior year of high school, I felt confused as to what I really wanted to do. I always thought that I somewhat knew what I wanted to study, but once I got to the end of high school, I began wondering what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Therefore, I decided to apply for the COMPASS program at UCF because I like the areas of science and math, so I thought that I could explore some more majors in those areas. As I took MHS 2330, I became more exposed to the various

Ever since I started to seriously think about my future, I had aspirations of getting a degree and becoming a professional. Specific careers have changed constantly, ranging from becoming a teacher to an engineer. As I got older, I began to assess my strengths and weaknesses as well as my likes and dislikes. I know a college education is essential in today’s economy and society. Doors are opened to those with college degrees and a better lifestyle is guaranteed. A college education is not only economically beneficial but intellectually as well, for it provides a unique learning experience as it caters to an individual’s interests

College is where the job hunt truly begins. It is where young students acquire the necessary skills to go into their field of choice later. College is also the place to experiment with different specialties to make sure they enjoy the field of work they originally thought about when first starting. There is no reason why college students cannot find something they have a passion for during their education. They are given so much academic freedom to explore anything they want, and yet, so many go on to do jobs they have little to no passion for; that could be because of the way children are raised leading up to their college careers. Susan Engel recounts an event she witnessed at an elementary school in which a few students were talking about

When I first went to college I was seventeen years old with a knack for writing, an investment in history through story-telling, and curious about group dynamics, psychology, and sociology. When I was seventeen these weren’t the words I used to describe my interests in continuing education and because of this I remember scanning through majors that didn’t fit all my interests simultaneously. For a moment, Liberal Arts caught my eye as it gave me the freedom to explore my own identity. However, upon sharing this out loud with those in my mesosystem the underlying message of choosing this major ultimately

Because of this circumstance, I have decided to utilize my college experience as an opportunity to learn more about myself and what I love. Many youth feel as if they need to plan their lives out ahead of time and that they should know what career to pursue by the time they graduate; being lost and confused about the future, however, is not only limited to our teens. For this reason, I wish to encourage my peers to treat their college experience the same way. Finding out what we are passionate about and pursuing it is important not only because it allows us to avoid ennui, but also because it is a powerful motivator that helps people grow and reach new

Firstly, looking back at my college days the thought that kept me awake most nights was what I wanted to do with my life. From an early age, I envisioned being a teacher; but during my first year of college I had to reanalyze what I wanted to do. My family and friends that thought I was crazy for pursuing a career in education. Honestly, there were many times throughout my first year in college that I thought to myself that perhaps they were right. For a short time, I thought that working in the corporate world would give me the opportunities that they raved on about. However, would I truly live a happy life with what I was doing? These thoughts haunted me for a while until a fateful day I met a kindergarten teacher that would change my life.

I grew up in New York State, home of the city that never sleeps. This state is known for Manhattan or the Big Apple, but that is only one of New York’s five boroughs. Where in New York did I grow up? Well, in New York there is a quaint borough called Staten Island. It is in Staten Island where I did just that.

I distinctively remember my second year of college; it was the year 2014, I was studying Forensic Anthropology. Much like my first year of college all of my hopes and ambitions were still suspended in mid air, and, I knew that if I remained determined to climb the ladder of success; my goals would soon be in the palm of my hands. The second year of college was one of the best years of my life. Although, I still hadn’t joined a sorority, I had good grades and I encouraged a friend to follow his dreams which lead to him attend college. However, I began to have a deep nagging feeling that “this wasn’t it for me; I should be a lot farther by now.” As the days went by the feeling grew stronger and even more overwhelming than when it first started. I had lost my passion for Forensic Anthropology. I changed my major to Criminal Justice and tried to keep going. Deep down I knew I had to take a step back from school and discover what I was truly passionate about; for three whole years I

Since it is so early on in my academic career I know things will change, however, at the moment, I am thinking of several career paths to pursue in the future; becoming a neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, or possibly a research psychologist all interest and excite me. Psychology is about studying the brains and behaviors of others, which can lead you down a very social and people-orientated path or as I prefer, a more scientific or even medical structured path. I considered many times in pursuing medical school to become a traditional physician or even a surgeon but I never felt deeply interested and involved until I was introduced to psychology. In order to reach my goals of attaining one of these positions means I need to succeed in undergraduate school so that I can go on to obtain a Master’s degree and then later a Ph.D. Academics have always been at the forefront of my worries and goals in life ever since I started receiving and maintaining an above 4.0 GPA throughout high school, which then led to me being accepted into the University Honors Program at the

When I started college, I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to become a pediatrician and I started with a biology major. I didn’t take all my general education classes in the beginning, instead I took a semester full of science. My idea was to graduate with a biology major and pick up a second one up along the way. I had my timeframe all planned out, but realized two years into my major that I did not have the burning desire to become a medical doctor. It was not the profession itself that interested me, it was the perception of it that caught (insert word for eye)

“No human being will work hard at anything unless they believe that they are working for competence.” said William Glasser. Get a job that pays well, get a higher education, be independent and study hard my parents continuously tell me. My family has immersed succeeding in life and going to college into my brain and it is tradition to continue this because it will set an example for my younger siblings and family members since I am the first to attend college but also benefiting my future. My Quality world consist of relationships, experiences, values, and beliefs that I can learn off. The way life is heading right now might feel impenetrable but with hard work and dedication I know I can be an academic transformer.