Personal Narrative: SCAD Has Yet To Live Up To My Expectations

Fear and anxiety plagued my mind during this transition, however my wife and daughter kept my mind at ease. The information and instruction that was provided from the Professors at Durham Tech galvanized something deep within me. I began to strive for goals that I thought were unattainable as a naïve adolescent. Instructors encouraged me to work hard and to be persistent when it came to the immense obstacles of my course work such as giving a presentation at an honors symposium as an honors student. After countless years of self doubt and negative feelings towards education as a whole, for the first time in my life, I felt like college was an option for

Over the course of this semester, I have learned a lot about who I am. I have discovered things that I did not know about myself. Choosing Spelman College as an institute to education myself at was only the first step that I took. Overcoming the challenges that it has brought is the second step that I am yet taking. I am slowly, but surely transforming into a Free Thinking Woman.

Starting college as a Freshman is exciting; it is also unnerving. The comfort of everything I know is going to disappear and it will be time to grow up and face reality. However, reality isn’t doomed to be negative if I prepare for my future and

On July 6, 1999 a future Clemson Tiger was born, me. As the son of two Clemson alumni, it has been the overall goal of my life to attend the beloved Clemson University and follow my parents’ legacy. Experiencing football and baseball games, caressing Howard’s Rock, and making many everlasting memories has enticed me since I was a young boy. I have considered the university to be my number one choice when picking my future college since the first time I stepped foot on the campus. Knowing that I was initially not accepted into the undergraduate program urges me to prove myself and show the staff of Clemson all that I can bring to better further the reputation of the university. I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am today, but all I can do is get better and I will do whatever it takes to help guarantee my success as a student at Clemson University. I intend to live on campus to help ensure exemplary grades, attend all classes whether attendance is mandatory or optional, and lastly, I have an strong and supportive family of successful alumni to push me to be a prosperous student. My family deeply believes in a Clemson education over another because it has enabled them to be successful in the business world and obtain the high ranking positions in their companies that they possess today. Their success with their Clemson degrees inspire me to obtaining the cherished honor of a Clemson graduate and grow the highly respected reputation of a

Coming into Spelman College, I had this idea about the type of Spelman woman that I wanted to become. I wanted to be an afro wearing, free spirited Spelman sister with a bullhorn in my right hand and my left hand held high over my head in a fist, but while being here, my idea of who I want to become has changed. I have been in college for a little over a month and I can proudly say that I have settled into my new home and that I love it here. I am confident in the fact that Spelman College will make me into the woman that I want to be by developing the woman that I am today.

When I walk around the University of Georgia campus, I feel that I have found home. In such a short time UGA has impacted my mindset and goals. UGA is a place I feel inspired to grow, learn and build relationships. A year ago if you would have told me I would find a place that feels more at home than anywhere I’ve lived, I would not have believed you. The past year of my life before getting accepted into UGA was one of the most difficult years of my life. I had left some toxic relationships, experienced health scares and was lost in where I wanted to go for school. I applied to several Universities, received acceptance letters, but none of the acceptance letters made me excited. UGA was the last application I was waiting to hear back from

Throughout my life as a child and teenager, I was told by my parents that they worked really hard to get to the safe town and community that we lived in. Growing up in Pacific Grove, California gave me lots opportunities that I didn’t even know I obtained. Unless it had happened to me personally, I didn’t really understand the full picture of what others had to go through. Having dyslexia, the only subject I felt I really excelled in was art. After high school, I still had no idea what I wanted to do for a career or even a major. Monterey Peninsula College has boosted my confidence by showing me that I can be and do much more. Two years ago I would never have guessed that I would be applying to the University of Washington.

When I watch the iconic Clemson "Moments" video, chills rush through my body and goosebumps rise. That could be me next year; experiencing those moments. Touring the campus in February, I got that moment. It is the one that every high school senior has no words to describe when they have the realization they have found their new home for the next chapter of their lives. I am by no means a crier, but I teared up on my Clemson tour thinking I have found the place that is the fit for me. I can fit in here I thought to myself. No more little Winchester, this is exactly where I want to be and exactly where I belong. It is one of weirdest, yet most exciting feelings that I could be a Clemson Tiger; spending four years through rigorous work and research

I am currently a freshman at the College of Charleston and my life so far has been great! College life is quite a transition from high school, but I am definately enjoying it. The first few weeks of this semester were kind of a struggle for me because I was away from home and had to figure out how to do everything by myself. In addition to that I had to get in the routine of classes, network with new friends, and get familiar with the campus. I am also involved with our school’s Bonner Leader Program, which is a four-year civic leadership and development program highlighted by regular training and reflection activities, along with the requirement of 200 service hours per year. Through this program, I got the opportunity of interning with Coastal

During my career at SUNY Orange, I have grown by leaps and bounds. I have mastered my short comings, earned a 3.5 GPA, made the Dean’s list three semesters and running, earned the Peter Albergani Inspirational Scholarship, and I was selected to attend the Exploring Transfer Program at Vassar College. SUNY Orange has opened many doors for me, doors I did not even know existed. I was not sure that I wanted to attempt to get my Bachelor’s degree, seeing as just getting my Associates degree was more than I ever imagined I would accomplish. That all changed when I was given the opportunity to experience what it would be like to attempt learning at a four year institution.

It is a new chapter in my life being a first generation college student in which I'm having mix emotions of nervousness and excitement. I have this amazing opportunity to become independent and focus on my goals. San Francisco State has many organizations, clubs, and activities that I can involve in and wonderful people on campus. I imagine college to be an amazing experience in which I can learn who I am and I expect to meet wonderful people.

I knew college was going to change me in many ways. Yet, after my family and I restructured our collective and individual emotional reactivity over the three years that I was away at school, I believed my work in that department was done. I thought transiting into college was difficult, however, I found myself once again unprepared for the aftershock that rocked my family once I return from school. I left college a strong, independent, mature, and differentiated person, or at least I kind of did.

Throughout my lifetime I have listened to people reflect back on their college experiences and explain how college is supposed to be “the best experience of your life.” The summer after my senior year I use to try and imagine what my first semester was going to be like based on what I had heard people talk about in the past. After my first semester at NC State I realized that I couldn’t fully understand what college was like until I experienced it for myself. My first couple of weeks at Ohio State was rough and really tested my strength (mental and physical). I faced challenges and obstacles that I had never heard about in those past college experience conversations. All of a sudden there was no one to get me out of

Sitting in class for the first time, it was half of what I expected. I expected to sit by people I didn’t know, learn about old things in new lights, and writing a lot of papers. What I didn’t expect was me hating college. I am not as creative as some teaches would like, but that isn’t my personality, and I dint want it to be either. I fully expected college to try and morph me into a perfect little student that I knew I wasn’t. College so far to me hasn’t been fun and I will treat it like Wal-Mart. When I say that, I mean that I will get in and get out as fast as possible. If I pick up stuff along the way then alright, but if I don’t, then it won’t kill me.

Hearing so many good things and bad things about college I didn’t know what to expect and look forward to. That change my junior year knowing different college come every year I didn’t really pay it any mind what college I wanted to go to until ODU, Virginia State University and Virginia Teach came. It was Virginia State first year of visiting out school and I knew I wanted to go there I start getting e excited for college that were talking about their experience at college and what to look for when we graduated if we decided to go to college. Eager to start a new chapter college sound like it could be a little nerve wrecking but I thought I could handle it.