This Is Me.

Writing about myself, is honestly the hardest thing anyone has ever asked me to do. My life has been filled with great opportunities; I have been able to see parts of the world; and meet some interesting people along the way. In doing so, seeing the world has given me a great perspective on myself, it

Besides graduating from college, being accepted into the Counseling program at NOVA Southeastern University was the greatest day of my life. I was on my way to a much greater success by working on my Master. Paying for college out of pocket was a struggle, but I understand that success comes with great sacrifices. However, I wouldn’t really call paying out of pocket for school a sacrifice, but rather an investment in my future and my family. My first semester went marvelous. I was motivated and enthusiastic about the courses. I must admit graduate school is much harder than I imagine, but I manage to make time for studying and ended making A’s in both of my classes, which I didn’t expect less than that. When the summer semester I arrived, I was as excited and motivated as my very first semester, aiming to make nothing less than an A grades. However, unexpectedly my world seemed to have turned upside down in a matter of time. My mother and I decided to take a week to go

THESIS: I would like to tell you a little bit about myself by discussing what it was like to grow up in Hawaii and move here.

I wanted and knew I had to give college one more shot, for the only way I could ever become a fighter pilot in the Navy was after graduating college. All Naval Officers are college graduates, so I had to try once again. But this time I “felt” I had to go north, into New York State. For me it was more than a feeling, almost like knowledge of what needed to be done. Once I told my parents about my plans they were upset once again, like when I had told them that I wanted to go in the Navy the year before. In their eyes, my idea was ridiculous. Their question was, “Why do you need to go so far for college, when New Jersey had some fine schools to begin with?” And since I was going to be attending public school again, it really mattered if I went to one in New Jersey, or one in New York State. “It would be more beneficial if I stayed in the state” they said, for then I would have more financial help, as where if I went to the SUNY (State University of New York) school system I would have to pay out-of-state tuition. But I wouldn’t listen; something inside of me was telling me that I had to go to New

Five years ago I had to flee Syria to save my life, I had to leave my university as well. As a new immigrant, few things can be challenging. However, soon I was able to go back to school. I was advised to take some classes at a community college to get a good start toward my bachelor’s degree. Yet, the financial side came in the way. “Give up” is a word that doesn’t exist in my dictionary, so I went ahead and worked hard to establish myself financially. I stopped school for a little bit and was able to prove my success in the business world. Today, I stand tall and ready to go back to school and obtain my four-year degree. More ready than ever for a shiny future.

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.

Upon entering Cal State LA, my goal was and still is to attain a business education focusing on accounting to aid in commencing a satisfying long career. To accomplish this goal, I have had to make disillusioning sacrifices that have left my family saddened, particularly my mother, as I am not present at events where she wishes to see all her children together. My partner has also had to endure similar absences, however she understands my reasoning and in contrast, is supportive and keeps me motivated, and for much more than just that, I am beholden to her. The desire for my family’s better future, the motive behind my actions, keeps me advancing. My strong work ethic can be seen in the grades I have earned at this university. I did not just want to complete my courses, I wanted to excel and in so proving to the self-doubt in me that I do have the intelligence and dedication to succeed. I transferred during the spring of 2015 with an overall grade point average of 2.33. By staying focused while working at McDonald’s and attending school full time, I have earned only A’s and now maintain a core grade average of 3.97, raising my overall cumulative to 2.701. I am

-As middle school days came to an end there were many decisions that needed to be made. Those which included high school choices. In regards to my selection, I had picked Libra Academy as my first choice and Huntington Park High School as the last. By the time spring came, many of my peers were getting letters that determined what schools they were going to be attending for the next school year. I did face the reality when I received my notice and it stated that I was going to be attending Huntington Park High school the following year. As school started I was determined to keep on working hard and I did as I passed all my classes but as the following year arrived, I had chosen to transfer to Libra academy due to the lack of AP classes Huntington

After allowing everything controlled me, I was never moved forward. Seeing the situation right now, I regret the fact that I lost the opportunity to study and gain important knowledge from being a student. This is the most overwhelm mistake I could ever do. However, I have been changing the way I view my problems. First, I will put the family situations aside and gradually concentrate on what I have in control. Second, I will visit the counselor for guidance on how to release myself from

“We are moving to America!” my parents announced at the family meeting. My face started to heat up from anger. I didn’t want to leave my friends and the area that I grew up in. Saying goodbye to my friends was really difficult for me, but it was even harder to be the only non-English speaking student in Cupertino, California. Even though I am a shy person, I tried my best to communicate withto my teacher and my classmates, but I couldn’t express my thoughts in a whole new language. All of the frustration and stress caused me to cry, both at home and in my class.

When furthering my education, problems within my family didn’t only occur at the idea of myself attending college but the logistics of doing so. It was this conflict of, in a way, restarting life as my hometown is Vallejo and commuting to San Jose was just not an option. Nonetheless, San Jose was first foreign to me, but thanks to the short journey from my

I felt confused, as if my life was a lie and was stripped off me. I started my new life in Canada, where I didn’t know how to speak English and struggled to communicate, and both my parents couldn’t help my transition to learn English. I had difficulty adjusting to Canadian culture and didn’t have the resources at the time, especially in my classroom and neighbourhood. In class, I couldn’t communicate with teachers or friends, always feeling lost and excluded. Fortunately, teachers helped me participate in afterschool activities, clubs and sports to try to immerse myself into my new lifestyle. Around my community, Ray-Cam, support staff and mentors tried their best to incorporate activities and different cultures for me to adapt to. Realizing people's’ efforts to support me, I strived to learn the new language and understand Canadian culture. I initiated and struggled through many conversations with peers and tried to understand new Canadian culture concepts by participate in programs and activities that would benefit my learning. Grasping ideas of Canadian society and my community, I came to feel accepted and a part of a new home. As I grew older, I was able to finally understood my parents difficult decision of sending me to Vietnam. During my stay in Vietnam, my parents couldn’t afford to raise me at the time and had to work longer hours to get enough money. When I turned the eligible age to work, I got a job

We can all recall that time between graduating high school and beginning our freshman year of college. For many people, myself included, going to college meant a chance to finally escape that small town that we called home. The summer began to come to a close, and we could hardly contain our excitement to finally start our new adventure. College began, classes and homework took over our lives, and we made new friends and experienced many memories with them. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, right? While most of my newfound classmates opted to go back to their home towns for the summer, I've decided to stay in my cozy college town, much to my parents disdain. It is wonderful, yet bittersweet to not have to go back to that boring

College has been my priority. I want to continue my education by attending Cal State East Bay to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and my Master’s Degree in Public Administration. My career goal after I obtain both of my degrees is to work for the city of Santa Ana where I can serve my city where I grew up. Throughout my two years at Santa Ana College, I faced difficult family circumstances that conflicted with my studies, but challenged me to continue with my education regardless of the hardships. I remember some day during the first week of instructions on my first semester at Santa Ana College I broke down in tears in front of my family in my backyard because I was

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.