I Have A Better Life For Myself

Throughout my life I've encountered amazing human beings who have inspired me to be better. I cannot imagine not going to college because it feels like I have no other option. It's like trying to get from the kitchen to the living room. You know all you have to do is walk. I feel like all I can do is college. The one goal I am trying to achieve in my life is doing what I love for a living. I want to become a Therapist. I love making people feel better and helping find a better way to figure out things that may be stressful and depressing in their lives. Within the next 10 years, I hope to be only two years or less closer to getting my doctorates degree for  Counseling Psychology. I aspire to inspire. I work hard everyday in school because I

Nine years ago, I never could have imagined I’d be writing this essay. I was a senior in high school, and, like the rest of my classmates, I was apprehensive about the future. Unlike my classmates, I felt like I had missed the proverbial “you need to get your life together” message. I watched my classmates apply to colleges, their majors already decided and their future careers mapped out. While I was an above average student, I felt I lacked the decisiveness my classmates seemed to have. I did not feel passionate about a career or even a field of study. I felt defective. This was compounded by the financial strain I knew attending college would have on my family. It seemed wasteful to try to “find my passion” at school while squandering

Education is the main goal of college. I had always considered myself a person dedicated to the pursuit of more knowledge and a better education. My mother, being a teacher, had instilled these values in me. When I was in elementary, I tested into a gifted center and from there I tested into selective enrollment college prep. The obvious next step seemed to be college. Looking the scholarship given to me, it just didn’t seem to add up. I had scored a 32 on the ACT but my scholarship was barely covering half of my expenses. But I knew if a just gave up, the meant giving up on everything that I believe in. By pursing college I was able to be challenged, pursue subjects which interested me and discover new pathways that I was interested such as African American studies. Without taking that chance, I may have never received that knowledge.

After barely graduating in the spring of 2017 from Lopez Early College High School, I went straight to my parent’s house not knowing exactly what I was going to do with my life. I knew I had ruined my life after not paying attention to my teachers and counselors about applying to colleges. They said I was a wonderful and intelligent student with a tremendous capacity of succeeding in life. Although everybody thought that about me, I never did. I was constantly under pressure thinking that I had to work in order to support my family economically, so our house was saved. I was also worried about whether my parents were getting divorced after every insignificant argument they had. I had to be an excellent example for my two younger siblings; but even though I tried my best, I never was.

I knew when I started college I would get home sick sometimes, so I did not want to be so far that I would have to just stay on campus. Being homesick is what makes a lot of college student’s drop out and sometimes even their parents encourage them to go home. I did not want to stop chasing my dreams because I would be homesick. I have a couple of family members that dropped out of college because they felt that they were alone and thought they needed their family to survive. I try not to go home every weekend because I know those are the hardest goodbyes to me because I love my family so much. I know that doing all of this work and having God on my side will bring me

Attending college has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has opened up many doors and options in my life. Not only am I the first in my family to graduate high school, but I am also the first to go to college. My parents come from third world countries and traveled all the way to the United States so that my younger brother and I could have a better chance at life. My biggest motivator is my family; they are the reason why I work so hard.

Through many life obstacles I was not very fortunate or goal driven to attempt to go to college after high school. Grew up in a military family so my family was stricter about keeping their children

As a result of several motivational purposes, there are many driving factors to go to college that can and will impact one’s life. Before going to college, I waited 2 ½ years after I graduated high school to finally make my decision to go to college. The reason it took me so long is that I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. First, I wanted to be a probation officer, then I changed my mind to be an OBGYN, then finally I made the decision to become a nurse. I know I have a long road of schooling ahead of me, but that is okay. I have wonderful people in my life that encourage me to continue my studies. Going to college is important since it can open many opportunities to get into a better career field, it is a fun experience, and it can also start a tradition in my family.

My mind was racing with thoughts about how I hated my major and never wanted to study history in the first place, how I didn’t feel I was smart enough for the school or scholarships I had earned and how I just really wanted to leave and go back to Holland because I did not love the school I thought I loved. The next day I met my mom at Aquinas College and after even more tears I explained how I wanted to drop out. After filling out paperwork and packing my things I left with my mom to Holland feeling like a failure because I dropped out of college not even forty- eight hours after moving in. When we got home my mom made a big dinner to cheer me up and said these words that still give me so much hope, “Today is the start of your new life”. After that day I truly began my new life, since I had so much time on my hands I started volunteering at Herrick District Library, a place that I have always loved, once a week, began learning how to drive and found a major that I am truly passionate about. Ultimately, I started doing what made me happy and it has turned a situation that looked sad, confusing and hopeless into a land of new

College has always been an option for me, my whole life I have always had a goal to go to college and become something of myself. Senior year has been my most challenging year for me. I was at a point in my life where I didn’t believe that I was going to graduate. I became stressed and stop trying for a while. Ms. Walkenhorst has always been a great influence on me, when no one else was there, she was. When I felt like I was falling and wasn’t

I must say I struggled with the idea of going back to college. I am 34 years old. What in the world was I thinking? College, now? How old will I be when I graduate? Well I went against my thoughts and self doubt and went for it. I am enrolled in college, community college, but it’s a start. Hopefully it will be amazing and will lead me to success. I am currently in my first quarter. I have a long way to go, but I am going to get there, no matter what.

Out of high school I went off to college with a plan. I was so naïve, I had my life all planned out. I was going to a state school study accounting to become a CPA, where I would go to work every day, sit in an office and take home a decent paycheck. Halfway through my degree I realized something was missing, passion of what I was doing. To be completely honest I gave up, I stopped caring and my grades were horrible, in the course of a year I had gone from an A student to a C student. My family was adamant about me staying in school, and sticking it out another semester. I agreed to try but eventually stopped going to class, I should have been dropped from my classes but the university I attended was so large that with 400 plus students to a lecture no one noticed or cared. I dropped out of college, had I not made the decision to continue they would have dismissed me anyway. The grades I received my last year at SUNY Albany do not reflect my academic ability. I regret giving up, I realize now that there were alternate routes I could have taken. However I am one of those

“ Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalms 27:14” A verse that has helped me stay driven and passionate throughout the years of discovering my desire to further my education. During grade school and up to high school, I always struggled in my academics and that turned into a lack of motivation. I recall taking college courses that did not fall into a plan of pursuing a degree. All I wanted was to take fun classes such as drumming and water polo and did not take the opportunity of taking college serious. I was young and uncertain of what I wanted to pursue. In addition to discovering myself through college I also was a partner of business that I had to manage at the age of 19. Even though it was a lot of responsibility I was ambitious because at the time I had finally found something that I enjoyed doing and I was happy. However, that did not last very long because after years of attempting to run a business it did not succeed as anticipated so I decided to leave my business and pursued other endeavors. I continued working and still took courses that was leading to a certificate in graphic design because I knew that I was good at it even thought it was no longer a passion of mine. I decided to take a break from college and continued to work but at times my family would always ask if I would ever finish college. I remember thinking at that time I did not have a desire to pursue anything and wanted to be left

I had dreams and the only way I knew how to live out my dreams was through education. Although I fell into temptation as an adolescent, I never stopped attending school. During the end of my freshman year I found out I was having a baby girl. I knew I had to succeed more than ever, just to prove to her there is a way out of poverty. I had very little to offer her, so I was a single mother on welfare. I had many sleepless nights and moments that I just wanted to give up, but I pulled through and was able to attend East

Every day in my life I face difficulties that make me question my life from school, to my love life, to the friendships I have in my life. The difficulty of school usually ranges from me thinking, did I make the right choice on going to college or should I have just started working full time right out of high school. I question my education so much because of the burden I feel I am placing on myself and mother with college expenses such as tuition, transportation, and basic essential needs. I usually begin to disassemble these thoughts by thinking it will all be