Personal Statement: Nice Post Brenda

My mother worked four jobs at once to make financial ends meet, while always stressing the importance of education and financial independence to my brother and myself. My grandmother only achieved a second grade education due to the financial constraints on her family at a young age, but still in the end managed to make certain that of her children and grandchildren had what was needed to flourish and become successful, educated members of the community. The tenacity and history of these two women I still carry with me today. Their struggles have inspired to me to only want more from life, but also serve as a positive role model for the younger members of my community. I observed from other family members how an education can open a multitude of doors and opportunities. I want to make the biggest and most significant on my community and on my family as possible, and the only foreseeable path is to achieve a college education to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and connections needed to flourish and implement positive

Being a first generation college student has had its fair share of challenges. Both my mother and father, received their high school diplomas, but that was the extent of their educational careers. On top of that not a single grandparent on either my mother or my father’s side of the family even had the opportunity to attend high school. Though there are an endless array of resources readily available for all students, not having parents to help guide me through my collegiate academic process presented itself as daunting, as I was partially unsure of the road ahead. Being a first generation college student has been a burden, but it has also been, in a way, a blessing. I have had to face academic and financial obstacles other students have not,

Working in a higher education setting, I have had the opportunity to meet a wide variety of students. I have instructed and guided countless students towards their career goals. I believe that education is important, it has been my life long quest to guide students in realizing, identifying and developing their educational path. I have participate in advising and developing career plans for students who may have not otherwise attended college. I believe that my passion for helping students stems from my own personal background. Most of my family did not attend college and in my younger years I had no guide in furthering my college education. I derived from a typical low income neighborhood where most of my friends and family failed to embrace

One of the points that is stated in our book is, student expectations must be raised. When a student is fighting one of those barriers that McKinstry stated, it will be more difficult on those students to raise their expectations if they do not have a good support system. McKinstry states that educators often lack specialized skills to address severe behavior and learning challenges and that the time to handle those issues doesn’t exist; which will result in the students having little to no help.

Being born of 2 immigrant parents, who work menial jobs and have no education has always had its weight on me. Neither one of my parents are high school graduates and no one in my family has obtained a collegiate education. I have been able to experience first hand how difficult a life with no education is. I recall other students sharing how their parents provided aid with their homework and read to them, knowing I did not get to experience that made me gloomy. I had no other choice but to learn everything on my own and then attempt to teach my parents. This peculiar lifestyle has pushed me harder in academics and has given me a genuine appreciation for the value of an education.

This is a reflective essay concerning my READ 3423.01 with Dr. Reid in the fall of 2016. As I wrap up my first semester at Texas Women’s University I am awed and thankful. I am the first person in my family to attend University. Some find this surprising because I do come from a family that has done well professionally, but that was due to grit and personalities. The fact is, I was never even spoken to about attending college while I was growing up. I believe this is because no one before me had this experience to share or encourage. The truth is I tried my hardest to not be at school from middle school on, I just wasn’t engaged in the process. Of course, there were a few teachers I connected with, like the business and history teachers, but I hated the rules and structure of the environment. I amazedly graduated with my high school class, as my friends went away to Universities I took some classes at the community college. What I found was that when I got to pick my classes I flourished. Even the classes that others said were too hard to take during summer quarter, I excelled in those as well. As life unfolded I got married, moved out of state and had two daughters. When it was time for my daughters to attend school I was pretty apprehensive about the idea of it. I opened a preschool in a mother-in-law apartment we had on our property and decided they could learn there in a small community. That preschool led to homeschooling, and large educational co-ops. I lived in a

Great post. Excellent decision on your part! It is rough being the new kid on the block. Some students don't struggle to communicate and fit in with other students. I think more times than not the main reason is an unstable environment. My family moved at least twice per school year, this made it difficult for me to fit in and make any real kind of stable relationships. When a teacher interacts with a stand alone child, I believe it gives that child significance, and other kids take notice of your attention of this child, and want approval of the same from you. When group activities take place, it is the breeding ground for interacting with others and creating friendships.

I am the first to go to graduate college in my family. As such, I faced many struggles in my undergraduate career in that I did not have family or peers to turn to for support and resources that would help me in college. Yet, that adversity taught me about perseverance—moving forward when all seemed lost—and my schooling at CSU East Bay taught me that my struggles form part of a larger history of struggle by the poor, disenfranchised, and marginalized, many of who are today, unfortunately, African Americans. These experiences, in turn, play a significant role in my decision to pursue a graduate education and they now form a critical component in my ability to find ways to overcome barriers to higher education.

Growing up in a less privileged household has not only offered financial and academic challenges, but has also helped me to realize the value and power of achieving a higher education.

There has not been a financial challenge I've faced in my life that amounts to the one that I face as a financially independent college student. In highschool they emphasize the idea of getting accepted into college, but never on how do you stay in college. All my life it has been considered ideal and fairly simple to go to high school, then to college, and from there you’ll be fine. I believed that it would be as simple as getting a plethora of scholarships and grant money. I believed loans,if any, would be easily obtainable and not a big deal. The cost of college is far greater than I could ever imagine. You see, the financial cost is one burden, but let us consider the by products of the financial burden of college. There is the physical cost, the mental cost, the social cost, etc.

As a first generation college student, I understand the barriers that many students face in furthering their education. I was a Hispanic girl growing up in a single-parent-low-income household, attending a low-performing school, and I would have been another statistic if it was not

I am very fortunate to receive the endless support from the Uplift Education College Prep program. I would have never thought about preparing for college as early if it was not for the teachers and counselors’ guidances. They helped me working through the college tests but also hosting writing classes to prepare us with the most outstanding college application. Academically, I have had the most passionate teachers who willing to go beyond the lesson and infuse us with wisdom and encouragements. I feel challenged through my classes, similar to a college level course I have experienced during my visit. In class When working in robotics, my coach always pushes me to think of the ending game when working on projects. With these beneficial life

My name is Molly Ostriker and Last Sunday, I graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in Business and Psychology. I hope to pursue a career in marketing and was wondering if I could speak with you about your experience as Group Marketing Director at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

I am a daughter of a father who migrated from Sierra Leone with nothing but a suitcase, opportunity and a high school degree. I am a daughter of a mother who struggled to finish high school and she never went back to school for her college degree. I am a sister of four brothers: 1 didn’t graduate from high school, 1 graduated from high school but never pursued a college degree, 1 enlisted in the army and went to college for chemistry and the last one struggled in college for 6 years because of his learning disability. I am Gonto Robinson, a senior, psychology and nursing major, and I will graduate a year and a half late in order to pursue two degrees. Staying in school and pursuing a higher education wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for my family and teachers in high school.

I’m just glad I got involved in the program when I did. If I would have been deferred from it as I was in elementary school, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be as aspiring, goal oriented, and I wouldn’t be writing this essay. I was luckily put into the program in my school, but what about the student who was denied to chance to learn at the level they deserved so I could have that chance. That is why more resources need to be applied to higher ability programs so no student gets denied an education that both challenges them and expands their