Why I Want To Attend College

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.

Dreams are shaped by ideals and families shape the beliefs we grasp so strongly. Someday I want to change lives through an engineering career. My family has taught me that change can be positive and that change is the law of life. I hope to improve my life as well as the lives of others around me by creating something wonderful.

I come from a family where no one has achieved a higher education. However, my family is thankful for my mother who always supported us. During my high school days, I had a great responsibility and role at home that allowed me to help my mother provide for my siblings and I. Now, I have begun my college journey with the responsibility that financially impacts my household while living with a kidney disease that can be a social barrier to fully focus on my academic endeavors.

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

I feel like everyone deserves the right to higher education, no matter their family’s economic standing. This is how we can help facilitate economic flourish in our country. Those who are hardworking, passionate, motivate, and driven should get equal chance to make a difference in the world. And I believe that I am one of those students. In high school, I spent the summers working two jobs to help my family pay bills and during the school year, I was given the great opportunity to be Editor in Chief of my school’s newspaper, star in numerous theatrical productions, be a part of three honor societies, and push myself in Advance Placement and honors classes. I knew what I wanted and I knew what needed to be done: I wanted to get a chance to learn at one of top

"Art is a lie that helps us understand the truth" (Picasso). At the end of senior year of high school I didn't have the desire to go to college. I never took any art classes throughout any of my previous education, I just made art because it helped me cope and distract myself from overthinking any issue that I was dealing with at the time. The admissions counselor Benjamin Rich came to my high school and that day I learned that the Kentucky College of Art and Design existed. I thought about it and decided what do I have to lose? So I gained up some courage and I tried to submit my portfolio. I was an autodidact, I thought there was no way I'd get accepted because there are so many more talented artists out there than I, but believe it or not

I have always encouraged people to dream, but to remember that when you are dreaming, your eyes are closed so you must open your eyes and begin to live your dreams. You cannot live your life of passion while you are asleep.

When a student thinks college, the first thing they start to think is what do I want to major in.  Most high school students have it set in their mind that you need to have a major going into college but that is not true.  You can go into college undeclared therefor you do not need to know what you want to do in your life later on.  Due to the fact that many high school students do not know what they want to do with their life, there are fairs like the financial literacy fair to show students what the real life is like.  In our classes where BankNewport attended, we worked with them to choose a major to work with.  This is where we then used that major to come up with a budget for the trip.  During the financial literacy fair we went to many different tables to budget out monthly income.  The question is, did I do well in budgeting my money.

Prior to attending the University of Washington Bothell, I viewed college as a required transition to adulthood. I understood that four years of my life must be committed to reading textbooks, taking exams, conversing with others, and writing lengthy papers in order to begin to put value on my resume. It is because of this that I started my academic career with the intention of simply finishing, picking up as many good grades as I could along the way. The University of Washington Bothell, however, has altered my understanding of what it means to go to college. College nourishes intellectualism on the basis of creating lifelong learners, researchers, and question-developers. This means that my coursework in interdisciplinary research, writing and communication, critical and creative

The most difficult part of growing up as the older child is having to experience life firsthand. Although my parents were able to guide me through the majority of my life, one aspect that they couldn’t assist me in was my education. On top of school being challenging for both of them, there was also a need for financial aid;, my parents both dropped out 10th grade in order to help out the family by working. This caused them to lose focus on their education, resulting in the incompletion of high school, let alone college. This affected me because throughout my entire education, there was no one to guide me through school or help me with my school work. Since my parents weren’t formally educated, I was forced to teach myself and use other resources,

In the beginning of my education battle, when it came time for me to go to college, my father placed a huge responsibility on me to finish school because I would be the first child to go to college and complete it. Though I have always carried a lot of accountability in myself in being a role model for my siblings, after graduation I had no time to think about myself in terms of what college would mean for my future. This is because I didn’t know actually what I wanted out of my experience at Western Kentucky University; however, because of the push that I had from my father and step-mother to go to school, I want out of respect to please my family.

As a child, everybody believes that their parents are the best in addition to being capable of anything, myself included; but as I grew older, I came to realize how much of what I believed was just a fantasy made up by my naïve concepts of the world. My mother and father constantly tried their best to feed all three of us while providing the few luxuries they could afford. At times, I considered dropping out of school in order to work with my father to bring in more money for the family, trying to give my brother the most comfortable life we could all provide. This situation arose due to the lack of education in my family, as my father didn’t attend high school, furthermore my mother didn’t graduate from high school. This vicious cycle has been running in my family for generations, constantly feeding the lack of educational opportunities that parents are able to give to their children. Several instances shaped me into who I am today including my childhood, my aspirations, and my successes. I happily took the challenge of attempting to graduate debt free from a prestigious college or university, a goal I am still working towards that today by trying by best with my studies.

So I’ve been told. I feel it requires so much more than that. Dedication, commitment, and sometimes a little motivation is very necessary. Seeing family struggles firsthand over the years has been enough motivation for me. If I sat around doing nothing, just letting college application deadlines roll on by I would feel nothing but utter disappointment later on. It would feel as though I‘ve been a big letdown to the entire family, who always have and always will expect great things from me. My commitment to gaining a college education is truly the greatest commitment I‘ve ever had. I’m now past the stage of “when I go off to college” or “when I grow up”. It feels funny to say but I’m pretty much grown up and will soon be preparing to go off to college. The thought of it all seems quite surreal, but I’m glad to be at the stage in my life where I can better myself and be all that I can be. Going to college is what makes this possible. Honestly, knowledge is a critical value to have in life. Some may feel ignorance is bliss but Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” I’d have to

“You can work at McDonald’s for the rest of your life and live at home, but you will pay your own bills. Do you want that?” Throughout my entire life, my mother would never stop repeating this and it has stuck with me ever since. My mother was unable to achieve her academic dreams, but she assured that the mistakes made by her parents would not be repeated again with her children. The entirety of my motivations and ambitions set forth through my education have been influenced by my family’s inability to receive and sustain an academic mindset. I learned through my interview with my mother that the key factors that influenced my direct relationship with education came from my grandparents lack of motivational support and my own inherent

Fast forward four years now and I’ve accomplished many things. After his passing, I was very hesitant to go back to school because I felt like graduating was too difficult of a goal to handle. But I’m proud of myself for sticking it out because school is the most significant external influence that allowed me to overcome my grief. If it weren't for the coursework serving as a positive distraction, the college’s helpful resources and the peers I gained in and out of class who supported me, I would have never