My Success Story : A Story Of My Success Story

I recently found a list of goals that I had written 20 years ago. Most of the goals were realistic and I was able to achieve them. While I was checking the items off my list that I accomplished, there was one that I have debated about for many years—returning to school to earn a degree. Returning to school has always been achievable; however, as each year of my life sped by and I got older, I always came up with more and more excuses as to why I should not return to school. One day I received a course catalog in the mail showing online classes at the college. I decide that an online class would be the first step to my future. I am so grateful for the first day of that class. All the excuses and delays regarding returning to school

Success can mean different things to different people. The definition of success can change for a person at different stages of their life. A person's culture, family, friends, experiences, and environment can be a big influence on defining what success is to that individual. We all hear the stories of people failing and failing until one day they make it to the top, beat the bad guy or pass the trial. The story can also go that they got all they desired or raised up from the ashes. All of these have one thing in common, it is at the end of the story. It's never the beginning or middle. It's always at the end of the story that the person succeeds in their quest. But why does it have to be at the end? Simply, like how there is no good without evil. You can not have succeed without struggling and failing first.

“Returning to school after so many years of not attending, to obtain a degree can be a struggle for many people throughout their life, but it also has its benefits, changes, challenges, and goals. Initially, I had planned to go to college right after high school, but due to many family problems I was unable to. It would be another eight years before I would make the decision to enroll in school. My reasons for returning to school are to higher my education, have a better career/ job, and to better my life, as well as the life of my daughter. Returning to school for me, has had its benefits, changes, challenges, and goals. In this paper, I plan to give you a brief

Being a first generation student requires more will power than I ever thought I owned. In middle school I was denied by my parents the chance to shadow a pharmacist because they saw this as an unattainable dream. It wasn’t until I began working with disabled children and tried to pursue a nursing degree, that I found the courage and determination to pursue all of my dreams in spite of my upbringing.

“Colleges Prepare People for Life” by Freeman Hrabowski, is an informative essay about how college is a crucial step for the preparation of a successful future job opportunity as well as future life. Hrabowski is the current president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and has been in that role since 1992. “In 2012, President Obama named him chair of President’s Advisory Commission on Education excellence of African Americans” (Hrabowski, 2013, p. 259). This quote goes to show the amount of knowledge and respect Hrabowski has earned throughout his life by proving himself and his ideas to others. Although college is a crucial step for the preparation of a successful future job opportunity as well as one’s overall wellbeing of life; some might disagree that college is the key to success. From this essay, messages within the text will be made known by analyzing the real meaning behind Hbrabowski’s words. As well as reasoning, as to why a college education is essential to one’s overall quality of life.

I come from a loving and supportive family that has always encouraged me to work hard and if I do, I will be able to achieve anything I desire. I was taught to reach for the stars and to pursue my dreams. I am a true believer in setting goals, staying focused, and being persistent to achieve all I aspire: to be a CTO or CIO in corporate America.

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people that are prepared for today.” These heartfelt words were spoken by the civil rights activist Malcolm X who believed that people should never stop learning. I’m very much like him in that way. I believe that everybody should have the right to a fair education. I certainly enjoy learning at my current school, Julia R. Masterman. Masterman has taught me many things that I never thought I would learn. In this essay I will discuss how my education, so far, has impacted my life through improving social skills, rigorous academics and has increased my sense of independence.

College is many things to many people. For some it is a time for fun and socialization. For others, it is a time for personal and professional development. In my case, (a husband, a father, and a proud member of the U.S. Navy) college represented an opportunity for both personal and professional development. The purpose of this narrative essay is to examine my decision to earn a college degree, specifically examining my three main reasons (higher earning potential, increased marketability, and development of my critical thinking skills) for deciding to enter college in pursuit of a college degree.

Getting an education in this day and age is no easy feat, which anyone can accomplish. It is for the hard workers and for those who say, “I don’t have time for that I got studying to do.” There are obstacles one must overcome to achieve something great and those obstacles aren’t so different from the ones Malcolm X faced in his autobiography “A Homemade Education” back in the late 1960’s. Whether it is the money student’s pay for an education or the lack of motivation or desire to learn. However it was just as hard back in the 1960’s as it is now.

With maturity comes wisdom, and the importance of education becomes more clear as I look to further my academic career. Understanding the need for dedication in school has allowed me to recognize the great impact the same drive in every aspect of my life will have on my future. It is often thrown upon students to study and turn assignments in: students are taught to jump through hoops to earn. As I continue to mature, However, I have realized that there is more to an education than a grade. In fact, the immense number of factors that can go into or come out of academics has greatly impacted the person I have become. For example, I feel as though it is essential to know that I am more than a grade. I am more than a score. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. perceived and portrayed this idea in his famous quote. He helped pave the way for greatness through education by driving his success through thinking critically having the character to reach his goal of a true education.

Occasionally, I sit back and think what if I hadn’t dropped out of high school. What if I had not joined the Army? What if that What if this. I was compelled to tell myself for every wrong turn, I made; it was my way to succeed in making the right turn. Life hurls a curve ball, and you have to maneuver yourself to catch it. With an unyielding mind and determination; the wrong turn can be the right one However, it is the way we were supposed to follow that curve ball with the anticipation of will I catch it, or will I drop it. Going back to school to obtain a degree will improve my quality of life, strengthen my self-esteem, and grant me knowledge to obtain exceptional opportunities.

Success to me is definitely an abundance of wealth; however, I believe that my strive towards this means so much more. My hard work will not equivocate to the stereotypical desire for materialistic happiness. I will need a lot more than that in life, because I know that true success is to provide for the people you love in order for them to be successful as well. Working hard to earn as much money as possible will allow me to help my parents buy the house of their dreams. Someday I will help my children go to any college of their choice no matter the cost. I want to be so financially successful that no one in my family will ever have to lose an great opportunity simply because we cannot afford it.

In today's world it is very important to continue your education. Although it may have taken me a little time to get on track we are here now. Most jobs in the United States require at minimum of obtaining a bachelors degree. So in order to create my own success in life I will begin by starting on the right path to do my best at succeeding.

Continuing my education has been a goal of mine for some time, but I haven’t made the commitment until now. There are several reason why I chose to return to school after so long, the primary reason being advancement opportunities in my career. My other motivating factor is my daughter. I am looking forward to the knowledge I will gain and the ability to implement that knowledge into my everyday life.

According to their BMI chart I was considered obese at two hundred and twenty pounds of solid muscle. I was told to drop down to one hundred and eighty pounds. The worst part about it was that I had just three months. I worked hard at the gym, three times a day, seven days a week. While going though this challenged I became homeless. I could not let this stop me because I knew it was all temporary. It took me just about a month and half to drop about forty pounds. It was probably the second hardest thing I ever had to do. When I dropped the weight, I was able to move to Massachusetts with family and keep up the recruitment process in NYC. It was not an easy thing to do, constant mailing, scanning, phone calls, and some traveling back and forth just to complete it all. Finally after a year of the first ever initial call I was being shipped to boot camp in