Personal Narrative: My Transition To Community College

Returning to college, after graduating high school twenty-five years earlier, proved to be not only rewarding quite challenging as well. Viewing myself as a self-starter with extensive investigative skills I truly believed college path mapped out correctly, so I never met with an advisor, what a colossal mistake! I had self-scheduled all my courses and although I faced a few obstacles I was finally at the end. After completion of all my pre-requisites I applied to the LPN-RN Fast Track Program, little did I know my past would stop me dead in my tracks.

I have defiantly not had a normal or a comfortable life. I have lived in RVs and cars on the streets of NE Portland, been homeless twice and I have left the country on multiple occasions cause of my family financial situation. As recent as two years ago I was in Central America and Southern Mexico looking for a safe and decent place to survive in. I missed a year of school. Currently, I live in a leaky, moldy, single-wide trailer home in Rockwood Neighborhood in Gresham. My parents are divorced; my dad, who I live with, is unemployed, has health issues, and has no formal education. So I provide for him and myself.

they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please

I started to work as a waitress at very young age. I stopped receiving education because my grades at school were not good and studying seemed to be boring. Working in my twenties appeared to be more adventurous and full of promises. As the time passed by, my routine at work turned out to be a nuisance. I was feeling empty inside without knowing the reason. As my level of expertise in the catering business was growing, the idea of starting up a restaurant on my own was beginning to take shape. I believed to know how to handle a business but I was missing all the technicalities. Getting back to school was a good alternative though I did not feel ready.

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?

After I graduate from Community College of Philadelphia, I plan to attend a four-year university. I want to receive my bachelor’s degree in accounting. I have a few schools to choose from. The school I am going to transfer to is Temple University. I am choosing Temple because it is close to home, it has a good accounting program, and to continue a legacy.

Ever since I was a kid I have always thought about what college I was eventually going to go to. I made the decision in high school that I wanted to be a special education teacher, so I thought about some schools that had that teaching program. My number one school I wanted to attend that had the best teaching program was East Carolina University. Having ECU as my number one choice lead me to apply there. Weeks after I applied I got a letter telling me some sad news that I was not accepted. Since I applied to ECU and did not get in, I was now thinking about applying to other schools like Methodist University or maybe a community college.

Looking back at my life to where I am now. I can honestly admit if I did not come to Community College my life would have been different. Here at community college I have made the most out of my experience I not only saved a significant amount of money but, furthermore I have grown not only with myself but with my grades as well. I struggled with a numerous of things in high school. However here at college I actually took the time to listen and observe. I have made friends and individuals that I can honestly call my family. I have taken the initiative to progress in my chosen fields.

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.

Before my admission to Houston Community College, I was lost on how to succeed in my courses. However, my admission to this institute exposed me to different courses which educated me on different lessons on how not only to survive in college, but also how to succeed in my classwork. There are two main lessons that I wish to pass on to other students on how they can flourish in their courses.

In the 2013 fall semester, I entered Bronx Community College to pursue Dietetics and Nutrition Science, and by grace, I successfully graduate with an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree. Base on my dream, I already took all the nursing prerequisites courses. The prerequisites courses that I took are Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, English Composition I and II, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Probability and Statistics, Human Development, General Chemistry I and II, Microbiology and Infant Control, History and many more.

Last week at East, we had students going to the community college two days in a row and a school sponsored blood drive. The county office and community college scheduled the college days for our CTE students and seniors. It was hectic to say the least and the teachers had to be flexible. Some of the drove buses, others covered classes to give our students the opportunity to visit with college representatives and local business owners. By the end of the week, I could sense there was an undercurrent of stress. The feel or pulse of the school was off and by Friday, we had several teachers absent. To show appreciation, and to help combat high staff absents on Fridays I asked for money to buy the staff ice cream and to begin Fun Friday.

Tumultuous is the word I would use to describe my personal transition to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Maybe tumultuous exaggerates my experience slightly, but I did endure my fair share of highs and lows. I was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin which is about three hours from Eau Claire. As much as I thought I was prepared to leave the safety of home behind, I soon realized that my sense of security was false. It was probably week five that I had a little meltdown; I seriously questioned whether I wanted to be at Eau Claire or not. I’m an English Education major and examining the Appleton Area School District, and surrounding communities reveal that many of the educators in my desired teaching area graduated from Oshkosh. I

After recently graduating from Fullerton College with two associate degrees in psychology, I could have not accomplished this goal all by myself without the proper guidance that I received from EOPS and FYSI at the time. These programs were established to support former foster youth at Fullerton College in their education as long as they met all the conditions for each semester. As a result, this was valuable for me during my time as a community college student, allowing me to guarantee that I would finish all my requirements on time to transfer to a good university, and becoming more involved with the campus each semester. That being said, this is one of the main reasons as to why I am applying to your program, so I could receive the support

This community college is where I began my educational expedition. It provided the fundamentals and course work I needed to grasp the concept of education. The school program much more than on campus and off campus enrichments, they offered my first online courses that open my mind to new possibilities to learn. The elated and engaged program brought to light a magnificent way of learning. It was astonishing to be able to take classes at home in addition to school. Furthermore, the completion of the program successfully aided as I continued to a university with the skills and knowledge to be successful through hard work and determination.