Running Start Student Analysis

As a senior at Red Cloud High School, I’m a member of National Honor Society, captain of the cheer squad, lifeguard, swimming instructor, and part-time employee at the local grocery store. I’ve come to learn from a young age that money doesn’t grow on trees. When growing up, it was just my mother and I. While living on her single parent income, I learned money doesn’t grow on trees. My mother worked a minimum wage job, facing financial struggles at times. Her willpower drove her to get the job she has today. My mother married, and I have a little brother now. As his big sister, I always wanted to be someone he could look up to. At the age of fifteen I became a lifeguard at the community pool. The next year I took classes to be a certified Water Safety Instructor, so I could teach swimming lessons to local children. That same year I applied at the local grocery store, to have a job during the school year.

I am the product of divorced parents, who struggled with substance abuse, but that does not define me. My childhood consisted of poverty-stricken environments; however, I refused to let that dictate the outcome of my life. At the age of ten, I had to assume the role of a fatherly figure to my three siblings, so I missed out on the conventional childhood most would have had. I grew up in east Bakersfield where substance abuse, gangs and criminal acts of violence were a pervasive occurrence, and I resiliently avoided the peer pressures to conform to their way of life. From the ages of 11 to 15, I would work for my grandfather at the local swap meet on the weekends so that I could help my mother make ends meet. I received my worker 's permit at the age of 15, which elevated my ability to help my mother financially as now I earned a set wage. I worked the maximum hours allowed as a minor while balancing my academics and extracurricular school activities at school. Although faced with much adversity early on in life, I managed to be a scholar triathlete in high school and was accepted to California State University, Bakersfield after graduating from Foothill High. I was determined and excited to be the first college graduate in my family, as I understood the economic importance of this achievement. Sadly, after my freshman year of attending the university, I had to put my educational endeavors on hold to assist my mother and siblings further financially.

One educational opportunity that I never would have thought would even have been an opportunity was my decision to go to community college. While I used to feel as though I had to prove myself by going to a 4-year university right away, at College of the Canyons, I have actually learned more about myself and my academic ethics. I used to feel that community college was a barrier, separating me from my university dreams. However, without my community college journey, my academic passions and endeavors might not have been the same. I have used this time to learn how to be more assertive as well as more willing to problem solve and think out of the box. Since my goals were not handed to me on a silver platter, the community college process has

I am one of three children in my family,I have two younger brothers , one of them who is fifteen and another other one is twelve . I live with both of my parents who didn’t have the opportunity to get very far in their education. At the ages of 14 they had to leave home to work in an unknown city to help support their other parents and other nine or ten siblings. Thankfully the path has been different for me and my brothers who have had the opportunity to get the best education possible. and i will proudly be the first High School Graduate in both sides of my families .

Community college is a great institution for students to start their educational journey. Especially when they do not have the funds or lack some of the prerequisite that a university would require. Community college was created to serve the community, traditional and non-traditional students with the best higher education and lifetime learning opportunities. The faculty and staff members at a community college is there to provide leadership in education while going above and beyond to recognize the needs of the students and the community by providing excellent educational programs and support services that are available to all who have the opportunity to take advantage of them. “Student services now include recruitment and retention, counseling, student activities, student health, financial aid, academic support, career centers, transfer centers, and supplemental services such as transportation, child care, and services tailored for specific populations of students” (Cohen, Brawer, & Krisker, 2014, pg. 209). My philosophy in fulfilling the role and mission of the community college, is to establish the mission, vision, goals and values to guide all students on their journey to strive to become successful both in school and in today’s economy.

Community colleges in the United States develop rapidly and have become a vital component of the postsecondary education delivery system. As of 2011-2012 school year, 45% of all undergraduate students were enrolled in public two-year colleges, approximately 8.3 million students (Knapp et al., 2012. Cited by AACC Fast Facts). And it seems that with globalization and Obama’s education agenda, the trend of growing enrollment in community colleges won’t change. A high school graduate who decides to pursue postsecondary education may face with a dilemma--whether enroll in a community college or a traditional four-year college. Even within a community college, a student may be faced with a choice—enroll in a vocational program and enter workforce after graduation with a vocational certification, or choose an academic program with an intention of transferring to four-year institutions.

When I was accepted into the Rappahannock Scholars program in the school year of 2013-2014, I began to think differently and transitioned into a mature young adult. Before entering the program, I had considered the academic qualifications to get into college to be the most important. This program, and the advisor, taught me that colleges look for more than just academic interests. They are also interested in work experiences, leadership opportunities, club memberships, and honors and awards.

Throughout 9th and 10th grade, I have worked very hard academically. Yet, as I am about to venture into 11th grade, I feel as though I am ready for a challenge. Truthfully, the thought of starting college at the age of 16 sounded just like the type of challenge I needed. Furthermore, there are three main reasons why I want to attend the Mary Baldwin Early College: because I am seeking an academic challenge, because I believe that the Mary Baldwin Early College will help me to achieve my career ambitions, and because the Mary Baldwin Early college offers everything I hope to experience at a college.

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.

In general, the previous schools that I had attended were rather conservative in the sense that there is a lesser degree in the freedom to flourish in distinct fields of study. Therefore, I crave in expanding my abilities in different fields and in different places. I decided to turn to American education to challenge this stereotype. Attending Lewis & Clark College would allow the broadening of my perception in both academia and profession-wise. I see Lewis & Clark as the fertile grassland that can assist my pursuit for knowledge as it provides a large diversity of programs and working relationships with multiple companies. Ultimately, Lewis & Clark College serves as a springboard for me to achieve a higher ground throughout my career path. The opportunities provided in Lewis & Clark College could potentially elicit the inner potentials of myself to develop in the society and better represent myself as a successful candid from the

The faculty developed a system of support to advocate the academic and personal success for each student by utilizing the academy theme. The incoming freshman has a personal transition plan, which sets the foundation for their high school career. The personal transition plan also enable students to develop passion and deepen their purpose for life. To increase college and career readiness for economically disadvantaged and underrepresented students, the Early College program is an example of tweaking the personalized learning pathway to change the trajectory of the

When I was 5 my life changed completely. My sister and I were abandoned by our mother and father. I was then raised by my aunt and uncle along with my grandparents. I was taken in and loved as if I was their own. I want to show them and myself that no matter what happens in life that I can succeed and accomplish anything I set my mind to. Therefore, I am pursuing an Associates degree and the first generation in my family to go to college first generation in my family to go to college.

When divorce and poverty strike a household, statistics show that a student’s potential can take the hit, but these events actually taught me to leap over any kind of hurdle I face. At the same time, my parent’s divorce and the Great Recession ate up our limited savings, and I was told my future dreams were no longer realistic, so college would be out of the question. Disappointed, I kept my nose to the grindstone to prove my parents wrong, and I found that my career is only limited by my work ethic, and I could succeed no matter what I was told I could do. My work inside and outside of the classroom made me an honored student at Howell High School and a volunteer recognized by the state of Michigan’s recreation department. Just as these plans

Not only does community college help students gain the skills they never received through the public school system, but the GPA requirement of my program proposal also helps develop student ambition while cultivating students’ ability to learn how to learn in the community college environment. With so much on the line, we cannot afford to skimp on the education of Yakima’s future. To stay one step ahead of the competition elsewhere in the world, we must offer free community college tuition to the hardworking students of our Valley. Running Start students like myself should not be the only ones benefitting from free community college tuition. Open the program to others, and watch the Yakima Valley

I grew up in a single-parent, low-income home outside of Santa Rosa, California. The idea of college wasn’t introduced to me until long after I had already become just another statistic. I dropped out of high school when I was 17, in the midst of a teenage rebellion, thinking I already knew everything and didn’t need anyone’s help. I left home, got a job at a fast food restaurant, and stayed with friends off and on until I realized that maybe I didn’t know everything quite yet. After a severe reality check, I found a sense of responsibility that encouraged me to get my G.E.D and find a great job. I was very determined to take everything I learned as a child and use it as a what-not-to-do guide. By the time I was 19, I bought my first house and quickly realized I could either set limitations with excuses or achieve goals with endurance. The