Personal Narrative: My Educational Grit

My College and Career goals include graduating college and getting a job. I wish to attend the University of Alabama. I plan to major in occupational therapy or speech therapy. After I graduate with my bachelor's degree I wish to get my master's degree. After I finish my schooling I want to receive a job that allows me to provide for my family. I wish to receive this job in my degree's field. After receiving this job I wish to improve to reach a leadership role.

My educational history is very diverse. I went to Catholic school from kindergarten to sixth grade, then went to public school from seventh to twelfth grade. The transition from Catholic school to public school was very complicated but at the same time it was effortless. I did not have to wear a uniform, go to church, or learn religion anymore.

Have you ever met someone so stubborn that obsesses over any petty problem and can never admit to be wrong? If the word that comes to mind is uptight then YES! I’ve been called that all my life, I’m not proud of it but I also hate to admit it. On the other hand I’m at least trying to mend my ways, since I have noticed that it has only gotten me into trouble. Thus, I consider myself a step ahead of Mattie since she can't move on from the stage of denial. I was also told by my dad I was probably never getting married and I was okay with that as a tom boy at the age of thirteen. But then I met boys and quickly changed that perspective, still Mattie never did- not even at fifty years old! Does that

I have taken many different college preparatory classes throughout my college career that include: Chemistry 1100, Chemistry 1111, AP English, Trigonometry, College Algebra, and Calculus. These classes are the most difficult I have taken and they are the most difficult the school offers. I believe that these classes have prepared me the best for my post-secondary education from what I learn around the subjects we are taught. To succeed in theses classes you need countless hours and focused effort towards studying. These classes have given me a insight to how I should study for college exams and tests. My Math and English courses will give me a head start when starting my first year of college during the intro period of classes. The courses

In the previous years, I have made the decision to work concurrently with my education. I have been working as a waitress in a local restaurant for years. My parents were opposed to my working since they wanted me to focus on my grades, but I wanted to lessen the financial burden for them. Both of my parents never received an education and they wanted me to solely focus on school to secure myself a better future despite our poverty.

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.

When I first think of education making an impact on my life, my immediately goes to the teacher that inspired me to pursue the field of education: Mr. Quesenberry. The truth is, I never expected to enjoy his 8th grade Civics class. Though I had many wonderful social studies teachers before 8th grade, each year history was always one of my least favorite subjects, and I expected Civics to be the same. Before I took his class, I thought that the government was just a bunch of old rich guys who made laws and ran the country, and I didn’t have the slightest idea about the many complicated issues that the United States was facing or about what I could do to get involved and fight for my values.

Academically, I have improved in class participation and study skills. keeping my grades up is hard to do, I am scared to fail any class that is important to me. I have grown academically from the beginning of the school to now, I am proud of myself to improve in my class than last semester. The only class that I am missing is Culture Geography, I'm worried for that class, but it is not one of the three requirements. I want to pass this grade to move on to the next. I have become a better grade in English 9 because I really focused in that class to bring my grade up.

So now here I am. The Tribe was able to fund me in continuing my education, and I’m finally able to attend college. I never thought that I would make it to college. I was always beating myself up for having a GED and giving up in School. My first day of college in January, was filled with anxiety. I thought I was going to faint. But I survived. I now I’m enjoying the college life. Although it’s not much of a fabulous life. It’s challenging, stressful, intimidating, intense, but also fun. I want to encourage my children to never give up. I also want to remind them about how important school is just like my grandpa did. That getting an education is important. That without one they would struggle like I had. And reflecting back to when I was a

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.

At the beginning of my junior year of high school, I made the decision to pursue a different educational path. I left my high school and began the Great Lakes Bay Early College program, allowing me to gain collegiate experience and earn college credits while completing my high school requirements. Being introduced to a college environment at the age of fifteen was both challenging and inspiring. It provided a new set of social and educational circumstances and potential difficulties. Thankfully, I was able to adapt quickly and those challenges

Throughout my educational journey, I have tussled with many elections that have assayed my personal values, beliefs, moral and priorities. My first encounter with an ethical dilemma was in the fifth grade. Naturally, like most fifth graders, I was quite content with being at school; I actually loved my teacher and had many friends. I never gave much thought to the fact that all my friends (and school faculty) looked like me until the day Suhail was introduced to the class. Suhail and her family had recently moved to Florida from New Jersey (they were originally from Dominican Republic) so that her parents could pursue the "American Dream". With each passing day, a different student from the class would join in on the teasing and bulling of Suhail; they would shout racist slurs at her and tell her to get on her raft and paddle back to Cuba. I never

When I was younger I never took a step back to figure out exactly how I learned. It wasn’t important or relevant to me; all that mattered was I understood the information presented to me. When I was given this essay I was surprised that I had never explored the idea of how I learn and what works for me. Through this assignment I figured out what has led to my success in school and will hopefully lead to my success in the future.

This latter is to tell you what I hope to happen, what I expected, and what I learned durry the school. There maybe one or two questions here and there.

While I have encountered an unfathomable number of obstacles along my educational journey, one of the largest obstacles I have encountered has been simply realizing my own potential. To begin, I was the product of a father who left before my birth, and a mother who clung to illegal substances as her escape from reality. Being a child thrown into such a world, I did not think much about the "could be's" or "what if's." I did not set very large goals for myself.