Personal Narrative: My Decision To Enroll At Grand Canyon University

My first semester here at Kent State is coming to a close. It has been such a journey from the moment I stepped on campus all the way to now. Time has gone by so quickly. From new student orientation, practicals, midterms, thanksgiving break, and now finals. Now pausing for a moment, to appreciate everything that has happened this semester. It is honestly hard to put into words. The combination of class I took, the experiences I went through, the people I got to meet, and this whole new environment. College is not what I expected. It is so hard to explain it until you have experienced. This semester has opened me up to a whole new world of perspectives. I have gone out of my comfort zone completely. Pushing myself into awkward situations and

I would be lying if I said Rock Valley College was my first choice when it came down to choosing a place to continue my studies. Then again, like many others students, I didn’t have a

1. What experience do you like talking about the most? What has been the most interesting, intriguing, and exciting part of your life- why, and what did you learn from it?

The hundreds of things I experienced during my time at Lone Star College have forever changed my life. Every professor and student I encountered helped shape me into the person I am today. In high school, I would constantly struggle with my work and dreaded going to class. The moment I graduated high school I was given two options, go to college or move out of the house. Considering that it would be impossible to support myself fresh out of high school, college was my only option. I started off thinking college was a waste of time but I was dead wrong. Lone Star College gave my life guidance and skills that have contributed to my success.

Growing up with high expectations my mind has always been set on the idea of college. However when thinking of the “right” college for my future, I never knew If I would be able to fully commit and choose which one was best for me. I wanted something that would be comfortable for me that also meets my criteria that would make the college transition a bit easier. Since I’m going into something new, my decision would end up being based on the class sizes, the costs being affordable, the majors and degrees available for Nursing, and the location and how close it is to my family. It was a hard decision however one school had it all, which is why I’ve decided to further this chapter of my life at West Texas A&M University.

In my life, I have had to make made many difficult choices, each with their own consequences, but the most significant choice I made occurred three years ago; I decided to leave my home state of Maine, and enroll in Texas A&M University. This decision has had a major impact on my life, and continues to influence my life today for better and for worse. I've grown to be more independent, but as the same time my debt increases every semester.

My decision to attend Trinity Valley Community College was influenced by two primary objectives. One was to conserve funds, as this is one of the most useful features of community colleges. The second objective was to maintain a 4.0 GPA. This is where I failed.

In the fall of 2005, I took my first steps onto the campus of Appalachian State University with my sister who was entering as a freshman. One of my most vivid memories from my childhood is walking hand in hand with my then eighteen year old, wide eyed, and prospective sister into the Watauga dorms. Afterwards, as we left down King Street, I distinctly remember gazing back towards the magnificent North Carolina mountains and yearning to stay. Even at the age of five, I knew that one day I would follow in her footsteps and become an Appalachian Mountaineer.

I stood in front of my vanity mirror as I did every morning, a bad but an ineluctable habit of mine. I traced my scar from my eyebrow to my cheekbone with my finger. I suppose most people see scars as a sign of survivor, but all I ever saw was my weakness. I don’t mean to be querulous, I was grateful to be alive, I just seemed to constantly be reminded of my mistakes. I shook my head, wishing I could pinion myself so I could stop obsessing over it. As I was leaving that morning, my cocker spaniel sat like a portier at the front door, his big brown eyes pleading me to stay. I felt bad for having to leave him, so I went to go give him a treat. He knew what was happening as soon as I started walking towards the kitchen and started to jump around

I am Efrashia Nicole Crespin and I was raised here in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I had recently moved to Hobbs, New Mexico and came back to finish my high school career and start at New Mexico State University the following semester. I am majoring in the school of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management as for short we call it HRTM. I have received numerous scholarships from the university in pursing in bachelors here at New Mexico State. I am grateful for the opportunities the school as offered to me coming from a very low income family.

Life has had its ups and downs for me.Like most people, I struggle with a host of issues

There is not a singular event that has brought me to Colorado Christian University, rather an unexplainable journey that has placed this institution in my path. Since the day I was baptized in the First Baptist Church in Savannah Missouri at the age of 13 I have been avoiding a path that hind sight has shown me very clearly. From the beginning I have usually taken another route than the one I was intended. When I could have been more involved with my faith I typically did not fully engage. I entered college in 1990 with no real direction in mind. I was not invested and I did not succeed, but I also did not follow the still small voice that was calling me to service the lord. I left school after accomplishing very little and joined the military

Every aspect of my enrollment at Rich Mountain Community College has been phenomenal. The professors and tutoring staff have been so patient and kind with me these last three semesters. To limit my wonderful experiences to just one is quite challenging. Through much reflection, I would have to say that receiving my mid-term grade in College Algebra is the most exciting and momentous experience so far.

How will I make the best of my time at Colorado Christian University? The same way I have made the best of the rest of my life. You see, I am very much the anomaly of almost every statistic on troubled teenagers. My childhood was not a pleasant one, as my mother’s second husband was not a very nice man. Because our family fell through the cracks in the Child Protective system, I found myself in a precarious position very early in life. Despite being a good student in high school, I was at the age of 16, a teenage runaway. While living on my own and working full time to support myself while finishing my junior and senior year in high school, I made every attempt to complete my education. However, life did end up getting the best of me, and I ended up dropping out of high school in my senior year, just three months shy of graduation.

Interesting that you ask this of the northern states vineyards success. I actually travel to Chautauqua Institute a couple times a year and while you fly into Buffalo, New York, the drive to Chautauqua is lined with miles and miles of vineyards. This is a trip I love to make every chance I get, to see the beauty of this countryside as well as these vineyards, as far as the eye can see. It is wine country with over 50 miles straight of vineyards and, and all feeding off Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake (“Lake Erie Wine Country” n.d.).