Personal Narrative: Why I Fight For My Degree

I am a non-traditional student. I began my college matriculation 15 years after receiving my high school diploma. I started my family before focusing on my education and career. I have been fortunate within that 15 year gap to be a stay-at-home mother. When my youngest son began kindergarten, I began college classes. This reversal of traditional education and family construction has given me a unique perspective on life.

My decision to go back to school in the fall of 2012 was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I’m a stay at home mom of 4 boys with 2 of them being special needs. My oldest was born with a rare genetic condition called hereditary spastic paraplegia and my youngest son was born with a rare condition called Dravet Syndrome that requires 24/7 care. I was at a point in my life where I had lost my identity of who I was and I wanted to be me again. I made that important decision to go back to school for myself with the fear of how I was going to do it, but I knew that it was right. It took me 3 years to complete my AS but with the support of my husband and kids I was able to receive my degree. I worked hard and was able to juggle being

Sixth grade was my worst year of school, only thing I had was basketball and I was forced to quit. After that I spent my summer playing basketball. The reason I was forced to quit was my attendance I had a rough year because new school and transportation issues. I just wanted to play basketball and I couldn’t do that on a team level.

When I was sixteen years old,attending Laguna Hills High School my sophomore year. I was a complete mess with my education, my grades weren’t

Most summers after school were boring to me, I knew senior year was coming up and I wanted it to be the best school year yet. I decided to try to get a job, having some more money before senior started seemed like a good idea. I ended up working for the Plainfield YMCA. The entire summer and i ended up working with little kids. Being a camp counselor isn’t the easiest thing in the world. But I had fun, working hard is something that I know is important and that summer I made sure to get a plan set up. Unlike the last 3 years, I knew I had to finally transfer to Plainfield high. I put it off for too long. By the time the summer ended I finally

Everyone always told me, “You need to go to college,” but I was thinking about it in an entirely different way than they were. I thought college was needed to get a degree and a good paying job, which is actually true, but college is also needed because it teaches so much more than what can be learn in class. It teaches life lessons, it forces me to become more independent, and provides me with a great experience that I can take with me whenever I leave college and go out into the real world. The key to surviving freshman year is by taking advantage of all these things that will help me grow as a person.

So now here I am. The Tribe was able to fund me in continuing my education, and I’m finally able to attend college. I never thought that I would make it to college. I was always beating myself up for having a GED and giving up in School. My first day of college in January, was filled with anxiety. I thought I was going to faint. But I survived. I now I’m enjoying the college life. Although it’s not much of a fabulous life. It’s challenging, stressful, intimidating, intense, but also fun. I want to encourage my children to never give up. I also want to remind them about how important school is just like my grandpa did. That getting an education is important. That without one they would struggle like I had. And reflecting back to when I was a

During my last few weeks in high school I was blessed with getting accepted into all four of my college choices including Sam Houston State University, Baylor College, Texas A&M Commerce, and Stephen F. Austin University. While touring schools and receiving financial aid packages I immediately turned down Texas A&M commerce and Baylor College. This of course left me with rival schools to choose between. After having the chance to tour Sam Houston I knew it was the school for me! The campus was beautiful and affordable, everyone I had spoken with was kind and knowledgeable, and I loved the fact that there was a wide variety of STEM majors I could choose between. I expected to graduate with my first degree in Health Sciences and go to medical

While in my quest for higher education, I found that there are a number of majors to apply for and many different occupations. I went through multiple career changes such as being a police officer, a lawyer, a nurse etc. But one career stood out the most and it was nursing. I believe that nursing stuck with me so well because I have always had this positive attitude where I could help people in and out my community. Throughout my teen years I have taken it upon myself to give charity, I went out into with my hometown with a few of my family members and gave a full hot meal to many of the homeless people. I have always been a positive person who always has a smile on my face and always laughing.

When I was a kid, grandpa would tell me that an education is the key to success. He would say that the day at which you stop learning is the day at which you pass away. I have pondered this statement over the years and I have to say he was right. I am looking to pursue a Master of Education in Adult and Lifelong learning to help better educate my clientele. Instead of teaching in the classroom right out of college, I went the route of research agriculture. What I found was that even in research agriculture I was teaching. Then I changed jobs to a Field Service Representative and I found I was still teaching farmers new ways to manage the new to Arkansas crop: edamame. When going back to research agriculture in the Extension Entomology

Before reaching high school, I had never understood true adversity. I relied on my seemingly developed skills and prior knowledge of basic fundamentals in sports to set me apart from others. I was used to excelling in almost every activity I involved myself in if I worked hard enough, so failure was something I had not encountered. It wasn't until ninth grade that I truly faced hardship in a place I had thought was my comfort zone. Although the threat of failure was surfacing, my perseverance and determined mindset were ultimately the catalysts for success.

While I cannot think of any one single episode in my past that has led me to consider furthering my education, I do think that there have been many points in my life that have helped me reach this pivotal moment in life. I think that I should start from the very beginning. I am the 4th of 5 children; three of which have earned their BA degrees. Growing up, we were poor as both my parents only had their high school education and were raised in the segregated south. Even though there were economical and racial hardships that we had to overcome, I loved growing up in the country of Jackson County, Florida. My parents were hard workers and instilled a strict work ethic in us all. Even today, I try to adhere to my upbringing and apply this work

Throughout all of my experiences, I have one in particular that I believe led me back to college,

In my pursuit of higher education and becoming a math professor, I have had a rough start. I had to find a place to stay after my grandma kicked me out. I first tried to stay with a friend but they had to move. So I moved in with my father and his girlfriend while starting my first semester. However, a few weeks into the school year my father stopped taking me to school. He left the house after a fight between him and his girlfriend. He didn’t show up for a few weeks. Plus, nobody wanted to pick me up from where we lived because of how early my classes were and the distance. So, most of my professors dropped me and one professor said I never showed at all. Although I knew I could go back next semester, I chose not to register for more classes

When I began my Grade 10 in the academic year of 2013/14, I spend the worst one year of