Proof

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.