Life Before to Life Now

Although I work hard to live, I work just as hard to prepare myself for the next phase of my life, attending the University of Oregon. During my travels, I realized the potential tremendous opportunity I could acquire if I applied myself to the best of my ability. At that instant, I was hell bent on improving my life and that of my planet through education. Staying after school every day for two hours, staying on top of massive schoolwork and taking advanced courses like Physics and AP classes has been my routine. I have sacrificed parties, video games, dances and “regular” teenage activities to reach towards my goal of being the first in my family to go to college. I am persistent and full of stamina. I will reach my goals. I will become someone who really makes a difference on our

When I graduated high school I had no idea what I wanted to do, all I knew is I was done with public school and could live my life as what I thought an adult was. My father and most of my family believed it was important for me to go to college, and get a kick start with my life. Though they weren’t wrong, I had no idea what I wanted to do and no discipline to do my studies to the full extent of my abilities.

Growing up the main question a child is asked is, “What do you want to be when you grow up? “ , and most kids respond saying a doctor, lawyer, or a cop. In reality not everyone sticks to their first idea, and it’s slim that they actual start working in the chosen career. In my case, I have always wanted to work as a social worker or a therapist, but I realized it wasn’t in my budget. Therefore, I have decided; as well as, grew interest in being a dental assistant for a pediatric office.

Throughout life, humans are constantly aspiring to live a successful life. A successful life has countless meanings, but it is evident that happiness and the achievement of predetermined goals is a general theme. Also, success can be realized by just taking a step back to analyze all that has led you to where you’re today. The Portrait of an Adult assignment is unique because it allows us students to discover how successful an individual adult believes they’re through an interview process. It dives deeply into the adults biological, psychological, and social aspects while being intertwined with various course content. The questions have been generated from a pool of general questions that led to a more in-depth conversation. In addition, I

Occasionally, I sit back and think what if I hadn’t dropped out of high school. What if I had not joined the Army? What if that What if this. I was compelled to tell myself for every wrong turn, I made; it was my way to succeed in making the right turn. Life hurls a curve ball, and you have to maneuver yourself to catch it. With an unyielding mind and determination; the wrong turn can be the right one However, it is the way we were supposed to follow that curve ball with the anticipation of will I catch it, or will I drop it. Going back to school to obtain a degree will improve my quality of life, strengthen my self-esteem, and grant me knowledge to obtain exceptional opportunities.

For example, I am now a full-time wife, mother, and IT specialist. Before being full-time anything, I had more time to focus on school than I do now, but I chose not to. I, for one, cannot fathom why I opted for that route, as a result, I now realize how effectively furthering your education can be in this world of adulthood. Without a degree there is no promise of a steady career. Could you foresee yourself working minimum wage with two children up until retirement? I didn't think

I graduated high school at age sixteen; looking back, I didn’t think I had too many options when it came to continuing my education. I grew up as the youngest of eight children in a single parent family unit, who would experience financial hardship and make ends meet by receiving a lot of hand me downs. Attending school every day was essential not because of education, but because it was a way for my siblings and me to be guaranteed to eat a healthy meal at least five days a week. My mother worked hard and long hours, which meant there was no time for learning or getting any help with school work. I was not a very good student and the majority of people, including my high school teachers did not anticipate me furthering my education as an adult. The premise would be that I get married and start a family and that’s exactly what I did.

Henry Ford, said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” For years, I thought I was just too old to return to school. However, for 20 years, I’ve worked in a career that provided great financial stability, but it never brought happiness. When I was laid-off, I made the decision to not return to the corporate world; instead, I started my process of becoming a successful counselor and motivational speaker. Spending time with my family and doing what makes me happy are my overall goals in life. So here I am forty-one and enrolled

Going back to school as a working adult was never apart of my ten year plan as a high school senior. Like most pstudents, I'd expected to finish school and live happily ever after while earning a living in my dream career. I never anticipated my career being far from a dream or deciding to pursue another degree, ten years after my initial decision to pursue an undergraduate degree. I'd never thought about the effect of student loans nor did

When I first started college, I had several questions I asked myself regarding my future. I thought about what my major would be and what my living arrangements would look like post-grad, but I never questioned what my future career would look like. While I had an overwhelming amount of options, I always had a fixed certainty that I would be in the medical field. The only question was in what capacity? Coming in as a freshman, I could have studied to be a surgeon, a doctor, or even a medical lawyer. Ultimately, I knew that changing people’s lives through medicine was my passion—I just needed to find an outlet. However, not once did my 18-year-old self think that I would find my way into a nursing career. As I’ve come to find, life rarely works out as planned. What lead me on the pathway to becoming a nurse is all but conventional, yet I would not change any

Ever since I can remember I have always been passionate about helping other people, which then sparked my desire to continue my education. As I began to grow older I witnessed my four brothers drop out of high school, and that lead to the expectation

In order for oneself to develop, we have to process what is going on around us and adapt. Living in a community like San Bernardino where crime rates are high and financial benefits are low there's problems to fix all over. The emotional exhaustion of living in a city at war with itself comes through and I could not stand by and let my city be defined by crime. Becoming a mentor to incoming students in high school gave me an opportunity to help establish the mentality for future leaders and be able to give students hope to help develop a stronger career driven community. What inspired me to act was the hope I need myself when I was younger, I was not able to see the possibilities needed to create a career until I was given hope by endless of teachers.

What I had missed in my previous college experience was an ability to focus solely on my studies. Given that I am older and wiser in my perceptions I truly believe that I will be able to do well given the

In 1980, Donald Super introduced a theory that described career development in terms of life stages and life roles. Super was one of the first theorists to discuss the constantly evolving nature of career development, and the importance of finding a balance between career and personal life. Super’s developmental model emphasized how personal experiences interact with occupational preferences in creating one’s self-concept. Super discussed how each of us progress through various life and career development stages, including growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance, and disengagement. He also discussed that each of us take on different roles as we go through life, such as a child, student, leisurite, citizen, worker, parent, and spouse. Each of these roles has an impact on our personal and professional development, and on our work/life balance. Finally, his “archway” of career determinants detailed how both personality characteristics (intelligence, needs, values) and societal characteristics (labor market, school, family) influence our career choices and have a major impact on our career development.

Throughout my life I've encountered amazing human beings who have inspired me to be better. I cannot imagine not going to college because it feels like I have no other option. It's like trying to get from the kitchen to the living room. You know all you have to do is walk. I feel like all I can do is college. The one goal I am trying to achieve in my life is doing what I love for a living. I want to become a Therapist. I love making people feel better and helping find a better way to figure out things that may be stressful and depressing in their lives. Within the next 10 years, I hope to be only two years or less closer to getting my doctorates degree for  Counseling Psychology. I aspire to inspire. I work hard everyday in school because I