The Best Four Years Of Life

During my time at Union County College I have been faced with a lot of difficulties. I’ve struggled along the way but one thing I do believe is that I have the power to do better. My GPA has been affected by my personal mistakes. In my past semesters I have let my job take over my life rather than let school be most important. I have also let my personal family problems affect my work ethic. But through my fall 2014, it was most difficult because of March 2014 I lost my father through an unexpected heart attack. Throughout my fall semester I did struggle and cope with my father not being here anymore. I believed that I wasn’t focused enough because I used fall semester as a time to occupy myself rather that time out to deal with my father’s

College for many is a rejoicing part of growing up. The thought of entering a new beginning and creating joyous memories along the way paints the best years of life for many. During college years, students typically want to live free, disregard adult responsibilities and have a great social life, all while maintaining the course load of their academic studies. It all sounds great until an unfortunate reality for too many college students sets in. That unfortunate circumstance being coping with the death of a loved one. In the United States alone an estimated 30% to 40% of students on college campuses are grieving the loss of someone with whom they shared a significant relationship

Coming into college, I never thought I would be an art major. I came to the University of Evansville with high hopes of being a nurse. I began the nursing program, but only lasted for a semester, due to anatomy and physiology being awful. I took up computer science, but quickly dropped that after about two weeks due to my grandfather passing away during the first week of the semester, and me having to leave for a week for his funeral. I was ready to drop out of school – I had no friends, stayed in my room all day except for class, and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. About halfway through my second semester of college, I joined Phi Mu, which gave me hope and friends, and made me want to stay

As a teenager, I had overestimated myself, thinking my capacity is unlimited. Yet when encountered by an overwhelming state, I crumbled to carelessness. I am glad to recognize my faulty character early on rather than ten years from now when there will be greater tasks at hand. Even though the temptation to take on challenges never cease within me, I have learned to evaluate the current responsibilities and my capacity to take on new roles. Having less obligations but being successful in all of them is what I now thrive to do. With a new academic year, I turn my focus towards my course works for improvement, but also place my core value of family in volunteering at a hospital devoted to cancer patients, while continue taking care of my own

My time in undergrad served as a challenging, engaging, eye-opening, and an ultimately unforgettable experience. Being culturally inclined, I joined and became president of Purdue’s only multicultural sorority, Lambda Phi Xi. My need for service excellence in the community led me to become an event coordinator for Tippecanoe Villa, a resident home for elderly and disabled individuals. While I was highly engaged in my social and leadership opportunities, my studies proved to be a different matter entirely. Imagine, for a moment, losing your biggest supporter in life. Imagine being the only person you have ever known to attend college. Then, imagine having a scholarship that only provided you with eight consecutive semesters to graduate with no chance to take time off to find your

As you know, I was one of your favorite students but I didn’t get to actually tell you my story. When my two sisters and I lost our mother to breast cancer, I was only seven years old. It seemed like immediately after her death my loving and grateful father remarried. I struggled with reality for years and I felt lost. By the time my twenty-first birthday came I was pregnant. I had little knowledge on anything. Honestly, I missed out on my mother’s reliance on God including her guidance. There were periods of hardship until I finally cleared my mind. I started to listen to my step-mother’s military ways and I took action. I started my education with my dreams in mind and enrolled at Parkland College.

There were several times in which I felt like it would be easier to give up, but I knew I needed to get my diploma. The odds were against me . . . “you’re not going to graduate, you’re never going to do anything with your life,” my father would say, when we’d get into a disagreement. As much as I despised such words; eventually, I welcomed them with open arms. They sparked a motivation in me that I never knew I held before. I couldn’t wait to show him and everyone else who had ever doubted me, that I would

Midway during my first semester of nursing school I found out that my former husband was dying of cancer, specifically CLL- Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia; I was torn between the rigors of nursing school and doing what was best. Despite our shortcomings and however frightful our divorce was many years ago, I decided to care for him during his dying days. I felt that it was the right decision and my moral obligation to “do the right thing”; it was in my heart and for my children.

The date was March 24, 1974, cloud and gloom, perfectly matching my mood. A year had passed since my parent's death, and wasn't planning crying anymore. I didn't want to anymore and I did not think my parents would want that for me. Grief was an emotion I had commonly crossed path with during that year. My parent's, my grandma, and my spirit. College had been a thing of the past, being one of the sharp-witted people in my school I had decided and got accepted into Yale Medical School. Maybe dropping out was not one the smartest things I have ever done, but it was done deal, the affliction had got to me. Flashback: "Gabriela, come down here, I know you're studying up there, but we need to tell you something," yelled excitedly my dad John. "Yeah,

At the close of my senior year, I was overcome with bittersweet emotion. After years of working hard to secure my future, which came with getting accepting into my dream school at Christmas, I was hit with crushing news. Consequently, I was told that my family wouldn’t have enough money to send me to the college of my dreams. I was emotionally crushed, however, my senior year AP Literature and Composition teacher spoke encouragement into me. She reassured me that this trial that I am going through won’t last forever; she expressed to never give up and continue to work my hardest to achieve my dreams. Everyday , she was persistent in her challenges, picking me up when I stumbled, disclosing that she would do everything in her power to help me. After

Being a student is a difficult task. Many find college as a trying time in their life. I confirm this allegation as a student in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Since beginning college in 2013, I have developed not only academically, but as a person in general. After my acceptance into the sonography program, I believe I progressed much more rapidly in both aspects of my life. The demand of the program is tremendous; success is attainable with the right sentiment, however. I know I am a strong person and I can do anything I set my mind to; including conquering the program and excelling in this profession. While I know this to be the truth, I also know the only thing capable of holding me back is myself. While I know I can and will achieve my dreams, I know I

My main engineering courses at the time were underway and being focused on them was a must but, with the passing of a relative of whom I looked up to so greatly was still heavy on my mind, my studies then suffered in the process. In the event of such a close relative passing it became a distraction from my classes of which I then could not overcome therefore my grades had begun to suffer. Over the course of the next couple of years that preceded my graduation in 2013, I encountered many minor roadblocks and obstacles that I continually learned and built upon to become the person I am today. There were many lessons I learned from the “ups” and “downs” of my undergraduate career with the main one being, if you stay fixated on the goal you set out to achieve, you will eventually achieve it. My undergraduate degree became a humbling

My desire for Real Estate and the interest in staying in the field for the long-run have brought me to a pivotal point in my career both academically and professionally where the next logical step forward in my life is a Master’s degree in Real Estate.

I first started college at the university of Louisiana at lafayette back in August of 2006. Being a first generation college student, I was more determined than ever to make my parents proud ,but it didn't go as planned. By the time the middle of the Spring 2007 rolled around I started having a few medical issues. And when fall semester came, the

In February 2012, my junior year of high school, my mom succumbed to breast cancer. During her fight with breast cancer and after her passing, I made sacrifices on behalf on my family. I wasn’t involved in afterschool programs because I was cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and grocery shopping while helping my dad take care of my younger brother. Throughout my junior and senior years in high school, college was one of the last things on my mind. However my family and friends helped me realize that grades nor finances were holding me back from attending college but I was holding myself back.