Personal Narrative: Getting An Education

the best I had goals for school that I couldn’t commit to because I had financial

Applied to Iowa State College and got accepted. I was the first black student to be accepted there. I'm very

College gives students endless opportunities. During this time, students are able to grow and develop academically and individually. It also provides students with

First of all, from personal experience, college is a struggle for those who know what they want to

school which I applied to for the academic rigor of their curriculum. To attend a magnet school, it

After high school my main focus went into finding a full time job to support myself and my family. I started a family early and I tried to take college

“By 2020, 65 percent of the jobs in the United States will require at least one post-secondary education Community colleges serve close to half of all American students, enrolling 10 million students each year, but just under 20 percent earn an associate’s degree within three years.”(Georgetown recovery: job growth and education requirements through 2020) In contrast to the 20th century, a high school diploma was sufficed enough to fulfill

understanding of economics or how our government operates. So it is not surprising that even if they land a job, they don 't keep it

Afterward, I applied for scholarships but didn’t win any. Nevertheless, I was determined to find a way towards getting there. I graduated top of my class and decided to defer my enrollment one year and work during that time

I also believe that students should have every option explained and available to them so that they may continue to educate themselves. I find it astounding that most students do not understand that there are other ways to attain success other than the traditional high school to college route.

My journey for school started thirty-eight years ago; I graduated from high school in 1979. I attempted to attend college after I graduated from high school, but I married a few months later and chose to drop out of school. My second attempt was in 1992. I attended community college and was now a mother of three children. Suddenly, my husband passed away.

- I kept working on unrelated fields and focusing less on what I wanted, either for the lack of experience or for being afraid to lose the job I had, which was very financially needed for my basic needs, so opted to not pursue something I did not have fully confidence in myself in doing.

One was the aforementioned reason that I didn't want to make any big changes in my life at that time. The second reason was that I didn't really have any idea what I wanted to do career-wise at that time, and for about a year and a half that stayed true. Because of this indecision in my life, i "slacked off" by my standards in some classes my freshman year of college. I severely regret this decision, but i have tried to make up for it by picking up my game once again in the first semester of my sophomore year, getting a 3.8 on a four point scale. I plan to take 20 credits my final semester at GCC, which will allow me to get my degree in the spring semester of 2010. I consider this the top of my game academically.

Ever since I can remember I have always been passionate about helping other people, which then sparked my desire to continue my education. As I began to grow older I witnessed my four brothers drop out of high school, and that lead to the expectation

A second very impactful decision was my decision to transfer to Arizona Sate University, from