Personal Reflection

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

On 08/20/2017 at 1002 hours FTO Wheeler #4361 and I responded to St. Luke’s Hospital emergency room entrance, on 3555 Cesar Chavez St., regarding a women in a hospital gown trying to break the caller’s vehicle window with a brick. Officer Wheeler and I were in full police uniform driving a marked patrol unit when we responded.

In early 2006 I was knocked off track. My little brother was killed in a car accident at the age of 17. My world went pretty dark for a while, and I dropped out of college and left my jobs. After a few months of deep grieving, I got on my feet and got a job making more money as a receptionist for a window company. I pushed my passion to the back of my brain and put the money first. I was all determined to have a “grown up job” and be on my own. This meant I couldn’t afford classes, or books. I also had to have a full time day job to afford my rent. Teaching went to the back burner for several years. I was offered higher positions at my job, and pretty soon found myself sitting in the office behind the desk from which I myself was hired. I hated it. I could sit on the computer all day long and do nothing. Most people would’ve loved my job. But I could not handle

Twenty-six years ago. I began the quest to find the perfect college. As I drove down the driveway of Bay Path College, I knew this was the college I was going to attend. I was drawn to the rural setting, the beautiful campus and the small academic community. My intent for life after high school was to get my associates degree, earn some money, then begin working toward my bachelor degree. In retrospect, I did not possess the confidence or drive needed to be a good student. I struggled for the next couple of years to earn my Associates degree, however was apprehensive to commit to the time or expense it would take to continue my education. After a very long break in schooling, I now approach education with a new mindset and ready to commit

Coming back to school after being away for 17 years has been one of the most emotionally taxing endeavors I've experienced. My career experience was working in the quality control field. Being apart of the industry was very satisfying until the point in which the 2008 recession hit. Having to go through the uncertainty of being laid off and the frustration of trying to reenter the work force with only a high school diploma brought into focus that I needed to finish the bachelor degree I had started. While attempting to find gainful employment I took the opportunity to begin the process of transferring to a school here in California. I had originally started my degree in Lincoln, Nebraska, but moved out to California with my significant other.

I contemplated taking a semester off to have my child and reprioritize my life. However, after speaking my faculty mentor, I received the encouragement I needed to pushed forward and complete my degree. Sadly, I made the ultimate decision to postpone my journey to medical school to care for my family. After graduation, I decided to join the workforce to support my family. As a recent college graduate, I experienced difficulties obtaining employment and this was very discouraging, especially since I was caring for two young individuals. Eventually, I obtained a full-time position at a local community college and have been there for about six years educating minds to achieve their educational

These problems felt crippling, but after working a retail job with a friend, I was able to slowly overcome my personal problems and gained confidence in myself. I later transferred to Oklahoma State University and majored in microbiology. While I was attending OSU, I should have been more selfish. Putting others ahead of myself contributed to the poor reflection of my true potential found within my transcripts. I lost sight of my future goals while time was split between work, school, and taking care my girlfriend at the time and her daughter. Through the difficulties of those years, I emerged as an infinitely better person and after our separation I gained a sense of self-realization. Life is full of tough choices and I feel confident in making decisions quickly and effectively. I returned to Tulsa from Stillwater with a renewed sense of self and a clear view of the future I

There are many reasons why I decided to go back to school. Upon graduating from high school in 2007 I decided to attend trade school due to my passion for cutting hair. After I obtained my certified barber license in 2009, I began my self-employed journey into entrepreneurship along with starting community college in 2011. As a few months went by I found myself incarcerated leaving my wife and 10-month son behind. Four years slowly passed and I return home with a totally different mind state of cherishing life and taking advantage of opportunities. Therefore, in April of 2015, working as a welder, I enrolled into Bethel University as a full-time online student seeking a degree in Organization Leadership. Right after incarceration I joined a

This reflection will discuss personal diffidence and how it has influenced my academic studies, including my practice within placement settings. Gibbs reflective cycle (Gibbs, 1998) has been utilised as it illustrates a clear structure for the process of reflection. To conclude this reflection will draw together the themes which have emerged and highlight a clear action for future learning that will be used in order to enhance my future practice.

Being bright and with a strong work ethic, I advanced quickly in my work life. Exposing myself to various office skills enticed me to go back and take the GED Exam, which I passed easily. Afterward, I took every opportunity to learn that I could afford. Sometimes these were lunchbox learning courses taught at my local community organization, and other times they were professional development opportunities. Combined with my work ethic and determination, upward mobility in my job was turning into long term development and an actual career in the field of Human Resources. I was successful in making it to the management level without college courses to lean on. In the late 1990’s, I dedicated my life to Christ, and married a magnificent man in 2000. After having our two children, I realized that I was modeling many aspects of the life I wanted to teach my children, with the exception of my formal education. I took college courses here and there when finances allowed, and in 2005, I obtained the coveted PHR Certification from the Human Resources Certification

In the Fall of 2013 I decided not to retune to college. I started college in the Fall of 2008 after high school graduation. Many things made my college career difficult, but I had always found a way to make things work. Until I decided I needed a year off to get things done in my life. Many factors played into my decision to take a year off of school; class schedule options, getting married, and my business, were the three major reasons that pushed me to take a year off. I started my college career at UW-River Falls.

Returning to college was always a goal that has been thought about after receiving my associates degree in 2012. Earning this degree at the age of 46 years old in a traditional classroom setting after leaving high school 18 years prior was tough. Like most people the challenge was in getting started down the path once again. There were always a plethora of reasons and excuses why it wasn’t the right time; work, family, the dogs had to go outside.

After the door swung open, and I still wasn’t working, I went upon a college loan spree. I enrolled into a graduate certificate program. I only had to finish five graduate courses. I thought this strategy would give

Growing up in a country where educational preferences were given to boys, my father went against the society norms and encouraged me to get higher education. Along with his guidance and my thirst for knowledge I was accepted in engineering program. I was happily pursuing my degree, when suddenly all this came to halt; my father was seriously ill. He wanted me to get married before he leaves this world. Few weeks later, I met my husband, who at the time was visiting Pakistan for his cousin’s wedding and within months I was married. I came to United States with a hope of better future and dreams of finishing my education, but was unable to do so as I was expecting our first child and had no one to help us with the baby. I dedicated myself to raise our daughter, but deep down that feeling of emptiness lingered. Life kept moving forward, we moved a few times, gradually I started to adapt to being a stay home mother of two beautiful girls. Numerous times I brought home admission forms from CCBC but started to doubt myself if I was going to be able to do restart after such a big gap? I started volunteering at my daughter’s school and was soon hired as a teacher’s helper to assist with children with special needs. While working at school, I was again in an environment that reminded and encouraged me to fulfill my lost dreams. In 2012, I enrolled at CCBC with no career path in mind: I just wanted start again! Once I started I never looked back and I will continue to thrive.

I then started my journey at the University of Texas at Tyler. I completed a full semester on campus every day. My plans changed a bit when I was offered a job by referral as a court clerk in a district court. I decided to take the full time position, but I vowed that my bachelor’s degree would remain my top