I Was The Most Amazing Woman

In that time I was working a full and part time job to help my mother out while she was on disability. In those years I had no idea what I wanted to do and lacked the passion that now drives me. I knew I needed college to be successful but I also knew I was the only one bringing income in for my family. My academics took a backseat for extra shifts and taking care of mother when she was ill. As I left my exam, I remembered that mother from the accident and how I couldn’t of taken care of her if I hadn't taken of myself and emotions. I had failed to do that with my own mother and academics when I started college. I still work a full and part time job as an EMT while pursuing my prereqs for PA school but my passion to become a PA has transformed my lackluster grades into making the dean's

My mother became depressed, my father became disabled, and my brother was skipping school. I continued going to school from eight until four, which was a big relief in my life because it made me forget the hard times. My grades slowly began to decline, as well as my motivation. I gave up many opportunities such as attending New York’s number one specialized high school. I recognized my mistakes and was able to identify my failure. School was not the only place where I lacked interest in because I also slowly started to push my friends away. As a young teenager, I did not think I would ever make it to college. I became frustrated at my parents because my life was ruined and it was all their fault.

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

College is an extremely terrifying experience, especially when someone doesn’t know how to maneuver around or choosing the right course or class. Furthermore, it was a great privilege to receive that first letter from The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS)., Knowing that I’ve been accepted into an honor society that chose someone like myself out of several other qualified students on my campus. That letter gave hope and inspiration for someone like myself the strength to overcome any obstacles, in addition, to being welcomed into this tremendous family that reaches far and wide to help students like myself to accomplish our goals and dream, especially being in the first generation to attend college especially an older adult continuing my

This is a reflective essay concerning my READ 3423.01 with Dr. Reid in the fall of 2016. As I wrap up my first semester at Texas Women’s University I am awed and thankful. I am the first person in my family to attend University. Some find this surprising because I do come from a family that has done well professionally, but that was due to grit and personalities. The fact is, I was never even spoken to about attending college while I was growing up. I believe this is because no one before me had this experience to share or encourage. The truth is I tried my hardest to not be at school from middle school on, I just wasn’t engaged in the process. Of course, there were a few teachers I connected with, like the business and history teachers, but I hated the rules and structure of the environment. I amazedly graduated with my high school class, as my friends went away to Universities I took some classes at the community college. What I found was that when I got to pick my classes I flourished. Even the classes that others said were too hard to take during summer quarter, I excelled in those as well. As life unfolded I got married, moved out of state and had two daughters. When it was time for my daughters to attend school I was pretty apprehensive about the idea of it. I opened a preschool in a mother-in-law apartment we had on our property and decided they could learn there in a small community. That preschool led to homeschooling, and large educational co-ops. I lived in a

Througout my academic career, I have learned as much about myself as I have learned in school, whether it be from high school, to community college, and my journey that lead me to Arizona State University. I can honestly say as my parents did, that I wish I would’ve tried harder in high school. I scraped by taking the easiest classes possible and choosing to take the easy way out. Looking at my transcript makes me cringe, because I know that I am capable of so much more. I wish that I would’ve taken the honor classes and tried so that I would’ve been able to apply to a college other than a community college. My time at Mohave Community College was a significant improvement from my experience in high school. Not only did I graduate with near honors (3.49), I had made the Dean’s list and Honors List for three out of my four semesters, the first time this had happened since middle school. I had never felt more motivated and focused in my life. I was taking 16 credits and prospering and had a balance of work, school, and a social life. I had never felt more proud of my self in my life. As I sit here and write this paper, I question my time here at ASU as I try to plan the nex chapter of my life. I wonder where I am supposed to go and what I am supposed to do.School for the first time had become a priority, however, it began to consume my life. I would spend hours and hours on end doing homework and studying, and although there seems to be nothing wrong with this, I wouldn’t go

Arriving on campus was surreal. The buildings were huge and people were walking around every where: families and other young men around my age. I had never been more nervous in my life. Standing there on campus I knew that I had no other option but to succeed. This was a major blessing and opportunity. Going to college just wasn't something everybody did or could do. I needed to make the most of this. Standing there in front of the school I promised myself that I would do my very best to make my mother

Life is all about choices, and the one choice I knew I wanted to make was to go to college and achieve my educational goals. Knowing that my family could not support my two older sister’s college endeavors let alone mine, I knew I had to act. Throughout my high school years, I applied myself constantly through taking challenging coursework and involving myself in clubs that I was passionate for. All of those years led me to overcome the biggest obstacle a senior student

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being an adult. I remember watching the movie “Thirteen Going on Thirty” and relating to the thirteen-year-old, Jenna Rink. She wished to be thirty because she thought those would be the best years of her life and in the end, she realized that the choices you make when you are young determine and shape the person that you become as an adult. As a child, I learned foundational spiritual and moral lessons. Those lessons have guided me through tough times from a little girl who dreamed of being an adult to the young adult woman I’m learning to be today. I am excited to go to Lipscomb and develop more independence through the experience of living on campus. I am hopeful that my experience at Lipscomb will enable me to grow into the woman I want to be. There have been a lot of female role models in my life. My mom, my teachers, and my mentors whom I have spent a lot of time with and observed. They all have similar characteristics: strong, brave, independent, and supportive. Eleanor Roosevelt and Princess Diana are women that have inspired me with their generosity and wisdom. I’ve absorbed my

I knew college was going to change me in many ways. Yet, after my family and I restructured our collective and individual emotional reactivity over the three years that I was away at school, I believed my work in that department was done. I thought transiting into college was difficult, however, I found myself once again unprepared for the aftershock that rocked my family once I return from school. I left college a strong, independent, mature, and differentiated person, or at least I kind of did.

I know with my great experience, drive, and future college education from CCU that great things are not too far ahead. Another event that caused me to venture back into the college arena is the insatiable appetite I have for knowledge. When I started my college search this last time I really looked closely at what all the schools had to offer. I found CCU and I felt like my search had ended but my journey had just begun. College has always been a place I enjoyed going, it is a symbol to me that there is hope for a better tomorrow. WKU, the college I attended straight out of high school, brings back some of the best memories I have ever experience. It gave me a sense of pride when I passed my classes, it improved my social skills, and it brought me closer to my responsibilities. I believe that with an associate’s degree from CCU in Healthcare Administration new doors will open, opportunities will knock. In wrapping up this essay, it seems that there are many events in play that have influenced me not only to future my education, but to attend CCU as

I do know a lot about my mom’s childhood and background, but I know little about her greatest challenges and for me it was interesting to ask the question: “How did you overcome your greatest challenge from childhood to adulthood?” It took her a few minutes to comb through her thoughts, at the time she was wearing a purple blouse and dark blue jeans with a silver necklace. She raised the mug to her rosy lips and speaks softly, “Biggest Challenge: to trust people, to learn to trust people, I hadn’t had a lot of adults in my life that I could rely on or trust as I grew older I realized I had trouble trusting people. I overcame this challenge by learning to forgive and realizing that we all make mistakes.” This trait could possibly be associated with independence, considering how independent my mom was as a child. It made it difficult for her to trust people without a lot of strong relationships built on trust, besides her brother and sister. But once my mom got to college, she found lasting friendships built on trust and mutual respect. My mom loved college, just “stepping onto a college campus makes me want to go back”. Obviously, if you want to go back to college it must have impacted you in some way, shape or form. “College had a huge impact, not because of the academics but because of the community, I became active in a Christian group on campus which became foundational to who I am today.” My mom has always been a strong believer of the Christian faith and college helped strengthen her faith and build relationships that had similar values to hers. My mom loves being involved in a community and helping others, possibly because of her childhood experiences caring for her brother and sister. My mom has set a good example for me of how to be kind, loving and hardworking even through difficult

In what can be seen as a “normal life,” positive and inspiring events or actions provide the motivation necessary for someone to desire a more purpose by moving on to college and beyond. Unfortunately, my drive comes from the death of someone who was near and dear to my heart, my great-grandmother Lina Varo. However, not all hope was lost because of her passing. Although it took time to see through such a wall of sadness and mourning, knowing the life she lived, including what she did in her younger days and her relationships with people, especially family, was comforting enough to where I could pull my bearings together and keep my composure in moving on in life. Reminiscent at times, thinking about how she used to call me her “big baby

For many, after graduating high school the next big step is college. I never asked myself why or if I even wanted to. Yet, since I was not yet ready to join the work force, and didn’t want to disappoint my parents, I simply followed the path that I was supposed to take. For a while I had no direction, but through the loss of my high school English teacher and my dream of making my family proud, I discovered that college was the place I wanted and needed to be.

Now that I am reaching the end of my undergraduate career I feel like it’s fit to reflect on how far i’ve come and some high and low points during this time of my life. Some people may say that these four years of college are the most wonderful times of their life, and for the most part that is correct. But there is this whole other part of college life that is super stressful and even scary. During this paper I will address my personal development and how certain experiences played a role in those developments. Even though I feel like i’ve grown a lot and have developed and learned new things, I have run into some issues. Those issues being family/culture, social and emotional growth, intellectual growth, values and beliefs, citizen and community member.