The Washington State Student Services Commission (WSSSC) is requesting community college student applicants to speak at its annual event in May. If I'm accepted, they'll pay for my travel expenses and give me $150 stipend (huzzah!). I just think it'd be cool to win. :)
Here's my essay!
I’m too smart to not have a college degree.
In high school I was on the honor roll, lettered in varsity
golf, took college-level algebra and psychology, played in the marching band,
starred in school plays, was a conference champion for the speech team, was a
state champion in BPA (Business Professionals of America), and a national
scholarship winner for the VFW’s Voice of Democracy program.
I got a partial scholarship to South Dakota State
University and I picked journalism as my major.
In August of 2002, my parents dropped me off at college five hours from
home; I unpacked my stuff, met my roommate, and went to a party and got drunk.
I went to the first day of classes. I missed the second. I showed up for the third, but skipped the
fourth and fifth. Pretty soon I was
staying up all night partying, drinking cheap beer, eating like crap, and
irritating my roommate. At the end of
the first semester, I managed to get an A in English 101, but failed algebra
(the same class I took in high school and passed). My other classes were Cs and Ds.
The semesters went on and I continued my ways. Occasionally I’d go through good-student
spurts and I’d get an A in some random class, but would barely pass my
journalism courses. By December 2004, I
had no money and moved home. I dropped
out of college; I watched my high school classmates succeed and I felt like a
failure.
A few months later—on a whim—I moved to Spokane. I fell in love with the city; a year after
moving there I fell in love with my husband.
We married, had a son, and I became a stay-at-home mom.
And then one day it happened: I realized I wanted to go
back to school. The idea had popped into
my head every few months in the years since I dropped out, but this time was
different. I got online, Googled
“community colleges,” and clicked on SFCC’s link. Right at the top of the page was the
application.
I applied. I was
accepted.
Telling my friends and family that I was going back to
school was awesome. Everybody was
excited for me.
“Good for you!” my friends said. (Thanks!)
“We are so proud of you!” my parents said. (Thanks!)
“Don’t screw it up!” my brothers said. (Thanks?)
I started off light and took two classes online during the
summer. My son was a toddler and I
didn’t have child care for him, so it made sense to take the classes while he
napped or when my husband came home from work.
When the summer quarter ended I learned I had gotten A’s in
both of my classes. I decided to go for
a full load in the fall and I took those classes online, too. I got A’s in all of them, I was happy, and I
continued studying online.
And then a really wild thing happened: My husband accepted
a job in Dallas, Texas. In July of 2013
we sold our house, loaded up our stuff, and made the 2000-mile trip to the land
of longhorns. We mourned the loss of
mountains, but embraced the adventure.
What happened to my education at Spokane Falls Community
College? It continues. Thanks to the internet, I am able to take
classes halfway across the country from my classmates and instructors. Right now I’m enrolled in my last four
classes before I receive my associate of applied science in general business.
It hasn’t been easy; at times it’s been really
frustrating. I’ve missed out on bonding
time with my son, dates with my husband, and restful weekends with my
sofa. Last fall was particularly hard
because of our adjustment to living in a new state.
But it’s worth it.
It’s worth it because I’m making myself better. It’s worth it because a two-year degree is
exactly what I need. It’s worth it
because my confidence is soaring.
I don’t know if I’ll continue my education beyond an
associate degree. I’m not sure if I’ll
get a job right away, or if I’ll wait until my son is in school. I plan on doing some freelance writing, and
I’ve started working on my first novel.
It doesn’t matter what I do or don’t do, because simply having a degree
creates opportunities for me that I didn’t have before.
I’ve always known I am
smart. In March I will have proof.
