My Path Towards Higher Education

Growing up, school was not a major factor in my life. I come from a hard-working, middle-class military family. My mother, a Filipino immigrant, was a homemaker. My father was a 21-year United States Marine veteran. They were my first impression of what I thought my future would be. Being the youngest of four children, I was expected to fall in line behind my siblings when it came to education. I was never pushed to excel in my studies, so I did just enough to get by. As I watched friends escape the grasp of a military town and ascend to their respective colleges, I was left wondering what was next for me. I attended my local community college for a brief period of time. I treated college no different than high school. I

Many students have had their own personal journeys into college. People experienced inspirations on their journey, whether it`s from a family member, mentor, educator or a personal event that occurred in their lives. In my journey into college I`ve been encouraged by many experiences in my life that has brought me to where I’m today. Various people have been a big part of my journey, giving me the encouragement I needed when I wanted to throw in the towel. For example, my mother, my educator Ms. Tynes and even my friends spoke life into when I thought school wasn’t meant for me.

Education has always been highly valued by my family but opportunities for academic achievement were not always available to every member of my immediate family. My mother was the first one in her family to go to college and get advanced degrees. My father did not pursue anything further than high school. I keep these circumstances in mind as I further my learning and strive for a better education through hard work. In doing so, I can help pave paths for future generations of students in my family. Opportunities at NCSSM and other outside sources will push me even more to gain as much knowledge as possible; ultimately leading to a higher educational career. Additionally, I have completed a majority of my education with the aid of my mother

To begin, my immediate family is well-educated, meaning that both of my parents received a primary education, but also went on to study and graduate from universities. I believe this factor allowed me to succeed in coming to ISU, because my parents were able to recognize the significance of their higher education and how it correlated with their careers and current lifestyle. These factors contributed to my parents instilling in me the need to receive a college education in order to have more access to future opportunities.

I am a first-generation college student. My parents never got passed high school. They were both faced with hardship and had no choice but to get a job to deal with the responsibilities of home. My dad left India at the age of 16 to build a better life for himself and my mom in America. In my household, education has always been a priority. Since my parents have felt firsthand how life is like without a degree, they made it their mission to ingrain in us a value for education like no other. However, there have been many situations in which I have found myself lost and looking for answers about college. Sadly, by being a first-generation student, my parents could not help me. Not only could they not help me, but being the first to attend college

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

I am fortunate enough to have parents that can afford to send me to college, and support my choice to pursue a higher education. By attending college, I will eventually graduate with a degree and later earn a high paying career. Along with this, I have found college to be a way to discovering who I am. I have been able to move out, take over my own bills, and earn responsibility by doing so. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to attend college. Financial reasons typically hold individuals back from attending universities, and that later may affect their lives. Although I attend class daily, the true effect college will have on me in the future goes unnoticed. An education is something that is highly valued, and so important. Everyone should have the chance to have an education, but unfortunately, it does not happen. College for me, is a privilege. Therefore, I will work hard to earn my degree, and later put it to

Embedded in my psyche as a child was the fact that college was my only option after high school. This parental sentiment was synonymous with a phrase as simple as “tie your shoes.” For me, high school graduation would be a standard occurrence, but my college graduation would be celebrated. The college I would attend required thoughtful consideration because it will be my rite of passage. When I dreamt of my intended college, I knew it would be set in a beautiful city, bustling with energy, and full of consciously creative people. I didn’t know if my university campus would be urban or suburban, but I knew it would spark excitement, fulfill my need to connect with a global community, and offer several opportunities to propel me to the top of

Students from all over the United States are told all through their life that they need to attend college if they ever want to be successful, however, this is far from the truth. Often schools are culprits for driving students to attend money driven colleges, in other cases it is family. While schools all too often make the push on students to continue their schooling, parents can cause the same situation, as they may not have a degree and be working a low-paying factory job. Now kids already don’t want to be like their parents when they get older, so seeing them suffer in poverty or barely above the poverty line can cause some dissatisfaction, further seeking a degree to live a life that they never got. What many

College is a chance to further the education of most teens and adults in the modern world. Many people have the choice to enter college after high school or go later in their lives. Both of my parents made separate choices but both turned out to be very successful in their lives. College is a really tough decisions that could be beneficial in most cases because you do happen to get paid more money with a college degree. My mom chose to go to high school to continue her education in the medical field and it eventually paid off, getting out of student loans and having a lot of money to get the needs and wants of my family. My father chose to use his skills and the trades he learned to work and make money to support him and my mom, and he still continues to work using the trades he learned growing up. Both had different opinions on college and made their decisions according to the way they have been raised and their environment. Everyone’s environment and ideas is one of the largest influences in going to college because they shape every decision that you have ever made and really effect your future. My decision had been made to go to college to make my future much better

Attending college with a set mind of success is not only beneficial for the individual who has attained a degree, but to the family and the generations to come. A child’s hero usually tends to be a parent. What greater influence would a parent who has obtained a higher education and has lived acquired the social skills, academic skills and the independence of college be to his children? Further, education is now more

Encouraged by my English teacher, one of the few teachers to ever talk to me about furthering my education, I decided to apply to college during the fall of my senior year. I was reluctant to apply at first because I was never able to envision myself being able to pursue a college education, as a high school diploma was the highest educational level any of my family members ever obtained. Throughout my entire life and time in school, I had never received any guidance on pursuing higher education. In fact, I was completely unaware of the steps I needed to take to further my education. Both my parents dropped out of school before the sixth grade, thus they could not provide any

As a first generation student, academic promise hasn’t always been a focus of mine until my high school years. Coming from a family where the only post-high school education is whatever training you receive at work, it is hard to relate when the possibility of university is so far away. Four years after high school, I have not only worked full time but also received my associates degree from my hometown community college. That is all great thanks to the family that have raised me, and taught me that hard work is the only work capable of doing. My parents never had the opportunity to attend college, so they taught me what they knew in life instead; where manners are always required, hard work is mandatory, and when finished with that work; you

As cliche as it may sound, college was never an option that I gave myself. Going to college was more of an obligation that I set for myself when I started enter the field of education as a student. In my household, the goal of getting into college was always around me. The daily discussion in my household when it comes to the discussion about school, always starts with, “When I get to college”. When I have discussions with adults and career counselors about my career choice, I always start off with, “When I finish college”. A college education is important in my family, and I have been taught the values of having a college degree can guarantee me a successful job in life. My mother continually pushed me towards the entrance of college,

Growing up in a family in which both my parents had master's degrees, it was naturally expected that I would go to college, and for both my own benefit as well as pleasing my parents, I chose to pursue so-called "higher education". Stepping up to this "higher" plateau is no small matter, however.