Personal Narrative: My Education As A Non-EL Student

During my two last years of high school, i've been in contact with a lot of colleges and universities. Many of which don’t get my attention. Throughout my whole high school years, there was only one college that i wanted to go to, Liberty University. I have heard so many wonderful things about Liberty and what i loved the most was that it was a christian school. Liberty had the number one thing that i am looking for in a college, that is a christian school, but many of my other things that i look for in a college where just not there. I used to live in Florida approximately 11 years ago and let me tell you, it's hard not to miss the sunshine state. Liberty is in Virginia, a state where it doesn't feel like home. When i received a brochure

Starting in the fall of 2012 was a big change in my thinking and learning skills. This was the year that I started my Liberal Arts Education here at Bridgewater College. Before I entered college everything had come easy to me whether it was sports or school, but during my first two weeks at school I knew that had all changed. In high school I rarely had to take notes and homework was optional in my school district and so I carried that over to my new classes at Bridgewater. That did not go so well because on the first test in General Chemistry I got the lowest grade I had ever gotten on a test. This was where college changed for me. From then until now was a change in the way that I learned both inside and outside of class. In the classroom I started to take better notes and really paid attention to the lecture. Outside of class I started to read and take notes on the textbook and also used the resources of the college and got a tutor.

I am a non-traditional student. I began my college matriculation 15 years after receiving my high school diploma. I started my family before focusing on my education and career. I have been fortunate within that 15 year gap to be a stay-at-home mother. When my youngest son began kindergarten, I began college classes. This reversal of traditional education and family construction has given me a unique perspective on life.

The progression of my education goals are as follows: My short term educational goal is to accepted as a nursing student here at York Technical College. My next goal will be to graduate from the nursing program as a Registered Nurse.

As a non-traditional student, I had many opportunities to lead at school and work. As a matter fact it is hard to consider an internship because I am always having jobs which also gives me a chance to improve my leadership skills. I believe that a good leader must also be a good follower. I learned this in my first formal job as a chemical technician.

I have faced many challenges in my pursuit of my post-secondary education, the main obstacle being financial support. I come from a family of four, technically three after my parents divorced. my mother is a single-mom supporting two daughters who both go to post-secondary school. My mother has supported me my whole life paying for swimming lessons, soccer training, clothes, and other expenses. Therefore, I have worked my hardest this year to pay for my tuition, rent, and other expenses by myself. I want to take off some stress and pressure that my mother feels to try and support my sister and i, all while paying for other bills. In other words, I want my mother to not have to worry about paying fro my tuition or rent, until I absolutely need

My growth as an ESOL educator was in regards to working with the students’ oral language confidence. After talking with some former students last Sunday on the challenges they had when they transitioned to their high schools after being in my school, I noticed that in my school in general the students are not being challenged to step out of their comfort zone (if any) concerning their speaking skills. The growth was in the form of learning from whom I consider the best teachers for the teachers: the students, as well as including in my lessons more opportunities for the students to work on their oral language skills. I am always trying to be a better teacher than the day before, so who better to inform me how to improve my teaching skills?

Like No Other are the three simple words that have been chosen to define this school ,and the truth is in many ways it’s not, and in many ways it is. Lindenwood University has become a home and a source of stress for most of the students here, but we all chose to come and most chose to stay here. Some come for sports, scholarships, programs and etc; but most stay become this once unfamiliar place became their home. When talking to four of my fellow students here on campus, who come from all kinds of background, the overwhelming consensus is that lindenwood while it is a pretty a pretty campus the department's need a little work. During my interviews I asked four simple questions: what was your first impression at Lindenwood? Why did you originally

When I was in high school, I wanted to go to college. I wanted to become well educated with a good

I have been accepted into Baruch College School of Public Affairs Master of Science in Higher Education Administration (MSEd-HEA) program. After my acceptance I was looking for opportunities to gain more experiences in Higher Education Administration. My goal was to find a summer internship that allow me to work with a had a diverse student population in Higher Education. Luckily, I was able to receive a summer internship with Chris Aviles a Student Services Specialist that coordinates and recruits scholarship for undocumented students at Hunter College. Along with the coordination and recruitment of scholarships Aviles organizes programs that provides academic and social/emotional support that many undocumented students need throughout college.

Our district accommodates 5,400 ELL students who speak over ninety different language. These students may be new immigrants all the way to those who have lived here their whole life in a native village. The criteria for ELL services is anyone who has been influenced by another language other than English. Therefor there’s a large demographic of students with a massive diversity in both language and technology skills. What might be familiar to a majority of the student population may be foreign to some. These issues are becoming more frequent according to the teachers that I have interview and observed when they find out about student washing their hands in each water fountain they pass or holding their bladders all day because they do not know how to use a bathroom.

Up to last December, I had no academic goals, leave alone any plan for my future. It was not that I chose to neglect privileges, I did not care because higher education was never a theme of discussion for my family. In fact, my parents and I rarely have a conversation.

After reading A Child Called It in the seventh grade, I aspired to become a psychiatrist. I wanted to help people who were unable to help themselves. That is until I realized that my true loves in life were solving algebraic equations, taking calculus classes, and finding my own ways to make problems easier. I loved to graph equations and estimate growth. My love of math alone never led me to another career path. It was when I became a member of the Student Council that I realized that I could still desire to help and lead people while incorporating my aptitude for math. Being in Student Council for the last three years, I have been given the opportunity to take charge of a group while making a change in our school and community. This extracurricular has impacted me more

My personal experience as nontraditional student coming back to Umass was slight nerve racking. I was not sure how I was going to be greeted by my classmates or if they would even understand what it would be like and to have had the experiences of social class division and economic separation I struggled with my entire life. There were many times I doubted what I said or could offer my classmates would be valued and seen as a positive contribution. For these reasons I found having a professor who was not young and not as old who understood social stratification. Professor Ray eased my nerves in her class and gave not just myself but other students a space where they could stumble in thinking and be picked up without being criticized and judged.

Public school systems need to be more sensitive to their students. Parents play the major role in determining a child’s academic outcome, but the school system needs to notice children who don’t necessarily acknowledge their gift. These children need guidance -- I believe it is the schools’ responsibility to provide it to them. I have been through a situation that makes me feel strongly about the subject. My example is an indisputable case in point.