Personal Narrative: My Study Outside Of High School

Over the past eighteen years I have been alive, there have not been any real challenges I have faced in my pursuit of education. I come from a family of immigrants that managed to find themselves a good life, away from the ghetto and the poverty line, through hard work. Both my parents had to move to a place away from everything they knew to learn English as a second language to give their children, myself included, a better chance at life, and I can gladly say their effort was not in vain. If there was one thing I struggled with in pursuit of my education, it would have to be myself.

School can teach you how to read, write, multiply or divide, but it won’t teach you how to handle death, work, or life outside the classroom. Some people can handle these situations, but others struggle for days, months, or even years. A life changing moment can teach you something for the good or the bad.

Going into college, I would like to peruse many of my goals. I would like to start out getting my general studies in and then build up to become a Registered Nurse. After I accomplish becoming a Registered Nurse I would like to work on becoming a Nurse Practitioner. One reason I am striving to complete these goals is to be able to have a good future and hopefully a good job will come out of this. Neither of my parents went to college and I want to be able to accomplish that for myself.

It was a bright sunny day and I was ready to play. I was on the playground at recess. It was in April. I was on the monkey bars when my friend told me to jump down and she would catch me. My 3rd grade self thought it was a good idea and jumped. When i jumped from the bar, she moved. I slammed into the ground. I learned from this experience that you can’t trust everybody, not even your closest friends. No matter how much you know a person, you never know when they could change just in a second. Even if she moved because she was scared, or she wanted me to hit the ground, it doesn’t matter. Through it all I learned that you can’t give your just to everybody.

My biggest challenge starting this program is getting acclimated to a school setting and schedule once again. I started my Master’s program in 2008 and I completed my degree requirements in 2010. Since then, I’ve begun working full-time whereas during that timeframe I was working on a part-time schedule. While working I’ve accumulated a number of assignments that I am responsible for and my work schedule changes often due to those assignments. So, not only do my duties change but my schedule changes quite often. With my current assignment, I’m working as a New Hire Instructor for a federal agency and I am assuming all duties of this assignment along with my regular position.

After high school I wouldn't want to go straight to college if I didn't necessarily have to. I would want to take a year to travel and see the world. Yes it might be better to just go straight to college after high school but who would want to do that when you could travel for a year. I believe after high school you should give yourself a gift and travel take a break from school. Even going to see the world and see different places and cultures, before reality hits you like a truck. Everyone should travel before their to busy with work, school, and or even families at the time. Its good to take time off.

Due to my financial situation, I had no other choice but to stop attending UIC for the time being. During my Sophomore year, my financial aid was revoked at UIC due to SAP. Managing my time was also a big issue for me at the time; working 30+ hrs a week, having a huge workload from school and barely sleeping, it took a huge toll on my mental and physical state. Freshman year, I selected 5 classes totaling, 16 credit hours, and that was the toughest transition coming from high school to college. The transition was hard and I wasn’t able to adapt quickly, I found myself lost and very unsociable during my years of UIC. I did not make any classmates, friends until my sophomore year of college. All these factors made it tough for me to do exceptional

Sometimes, the obstacles we face in life seem impossible to overcome. We feel like we are drowning and helpless, as if we are not in control of our own situation. This is a horrifying feeling for a teenager. However, what we do not realize during these tough times is how helpful our adverse experience will be in the future. Yes, it may be over-dramatized by high school students (as are many things), but sometimes, when the pressure is on, it feels like the world is crashing down.

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

My first positive experience with school work was when I wrote a short story essay for my high school English class. Later in life, I found that I loved to write almost as much as I loved to read.

As I look back on my own personal educational journey very little comes to mind. Unfortunately, even learning to read, a milestone for many children cannot be recalled. I remember a bit about junior high and more about high school but the earlier years of all the important “firsts” such as reading and writing remains cloudy. I keep hoping that one day something will jog my memory and those years will come back to me like they happened yesterday, but for now I will stick to what I do know.

College is a big step in one's life, you are no longer bound to the regimented days of high school where a simple sound dictates when it's time to leave and arrive in class, when it's time to eat, and when it's time to go home. The high school bell holds a God like control over each student's life while they are in school, disregard the bell and one finds themselves in detention sitting in silence regretting not doing what the bell signaled them to do. College on the other hand is a completely different story, the only bell you have to follow is the one you ring for yourself. Each college student is responsible for getting themselves to class and staying the duration, there's no detention for cutting class. The downside is that you would be

My plans for after high school were not realized until my senior year. The idea of moving out and being on my own seem to be very foreign. I had heard all about having to start planning throughout high school. Not until my senior year, when it was nearly a reality, that it was the time that I had to grow up and start developing my future. The plan that I formulated this year was to go to George Mason University, rent an apartment or live in dorms, work part-time, and after college to work full-time at an IT or programming department of a company. Many factors can change this prophecy, such as emergencies or making new decisions. For this project, I used the most accurate to my life information and resources. So i looked for an apartment and

When I evaluate my school year, many things come to my mind. I think about friends. I think about my highs and lows. I also think about how I have grown. My 7th grade year at CMS was full of concepts learned, and personal growth

I make major life decisions by asking people how to past high so I can research the best college for me. If I don't go to the right college it will make me stress out or I might not like it. If I don't ask the right people they might tell me something that is wrong. To buy a car I will look up what the car has on the car. This is what I have to do when I go to college.