Personal Narrative: My Transition To College

During one of my rides for work at O'SNAP, I passed by a group of students gathered around in a circle on the sidewalk. After dropping off my party, I drove by them to ask if they needed a ride. They accepted, but one of the students was visibly ill. I asked if they needed assistance to get back to their dorm, but they insisted they were fine. Due to the policy of NDSP, student drivers aren't allowed to bring back students who are ill due to insurance policies. The student insisted they were fine, but was unable to maintain balance and felt light headed. There was an unopened water bottle in the vehicle I was operating and offered it to the student. The other students with the student helped me lower the student to sit on the edge of the curb.

I think that one of the most important decisions I have made lately was to start college. I started to reach this decision when I realized that I was extremely limited in advancement at my current company. A few of the decision I needed to make were what school I wished to attend, if I wanted to be an online student or not, and what I wanted to major in. The first point I needed to decide was what I wanted to major in as that would be what I used to determine where I would attend.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life after high school. I sat at home, on the computer, searching for careers and colleges majors online, night after night. I’d ask my parents, “What should I do with my life?” They would repeatedly give me the same answer, “Whatever your little heart desires.” That response just made me even more confused and frustrated because it reminded me of how many different options I had to choose from. I knew I wanted to continue my education by attending college, but there are so many aspects to think about when considering a college, such as, the type, cost, size, and distance of the college. I would stay awake in bed at night stressing about it. I knew I wanted to attend a college close

As a college student, who looking for building a career through higher education, decisions that I have made have had a lot of effect on my path. Decisions that mostly benefited me and sometimes had led me to tough situations and made me feel that I got burned out. This semester is going to be an example of bad decisions that I made in my entire college experience. I thought I can handle multiple courses and labs along with my working schedule. however I tried, but my plans did go as well as I expected. Although, dropping some of them, helped not to feel such a burden but it was too late. So I got behind but never gave up. Without a good spirit, I started back on. I did my best not to look back and just focused to move

Throughout my time in high school I have made challenging myself whether academically, socially, or physically a top priority. I plan on continuing this in college by taking advance level classes, volunteering and joining multiple clubs. I believe the keys to being successful at these endeavors are having a good work ethic and a strong determination. One example of how I demonstrated this is when I taught myself how to play the guitar. Although my skills are still mediocre, it took hours of practice and a whole lot of determination to get to where I am

College is a game changer to me. I’ve heard so much about college that led me to register, such as many programs and degrees including computer engineering. I picked computer engineering due to its promising career paths like coding, which provides me the skill to create and solve computer problems. Starting classes that I need to succeed wasn’t too much of a hassle for me. I started college in order for me to reach my goals.

My journey to higher education spans 24-years and combines two passions, teaching and EMS (emergency medical services). This journey began in 1986 with a suburban kindergarten class of 25 in Memphis, TN. Eleven years later no longer am I teaching school-age children; instead, I am delivering training programs to EMS providers as well as the medical community. Today, I combine both passions to offer students authentic experiences through which to obtain proficient skills in written and oral communications, critical and analytical thinking, problem solving, as well as in negotiation and conflict resolution skills as they prepare for rewarding

Until middle school I would have been described as introverted, but all this changed during the beginning of my high school transition. During the summer break before I started high school, my mother found a summer project for me. She asked me to tutor a child who had recently been diagnosed with a learning disability and had failed math and reading at grade 3. I had some fun plans for the summer. But my mother thought I could be more resourceful by spending two hours every week with this kid and learn a lot from the experience. I was a bit annoyed with this summer project thrust upon me and failed to understand how I would gain anything from this arrangement. I felt that I did not have the right skills or understanding to help him. My mother however believed that if I showed empathy towards this child then I would be able to help him in his learning.

Imagine you are carrying a basket on your head, surrounded by beautiful fruit. Every one you see is a gem, catching your eye with exotic colors and assorted shapes, so—with childlike fascination—you try to collect them all. As the basket gets heavier, and the fruit piles higher, you frantically shuffle forward in an attempt to keep it balanced.

Coming to college I expected to continue to excel in my courses. I had previously taken several college in the high school classes and done well in them, therefore, I assumed life in college would be no different. However, I did not realize that doing well was much easier said than done. In my first quarter at UW, I struggled to maintain a positive attitude. I was accustomed to things coming easy to me and when I began to struggle in my classes, I became discouraged. My first quarter at the University of Washington I did not get on the Dean’s List, in fact, I did terribly. This only motivated me to work much more. The Winter Quarter of my freshman year I took on more credits and challenged myself – I have never been one to shy away from a challenge.