I can, you can

“ Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing & dream while others are wishing” This is the quote that is on my white board that keeps me inspired while on break from school. My goal is to live up to these words and succeed of my goal of becoming a registered nurse. If someone were to tell me I was going to be taking rigorous math and science classes I would have shrugged them and went on with my day.

I was always afraid to dream because every time I dreamt of a career or a goal I would become disappointed because I knew I had to pass mathematics. I always wanted the easier and softer way out so i would choose careers that had little or no math. As a child growing up without structure and discipline I never learned good study habits so I've gone through life making mistakes and paying the price for them. I have learned from experience to not take things for granted because I took everything and everyone in my life for granted. I have been homeless, in 8 different rehabs and the choices I made lead me down a dark path full of drugs and negative people for the past 8 years. Only by the grace of God have I learned to appreciate every waking moment. Since I have been sober for 2 ½ years now and my life has completely changed, the day I started to believe in god was the turning point in my life. Since I have been sober I have accomplished many goals and have grown spiritually. After I got sober I learned to face my fears with courage. I took pre-algebra during the summer in 9 weeks as oppose to 19 weeks and I aced that class. I could not believe it. I felt like I was on the top of the mountain, i realized at that point I could accomplish anything that I set my mind too.

What I have learned in the past year of being in school is that school is hard work. College is set up for success with all the available resources and that if I really want to succeed I can. I have maintained a cumulative 4.0 GPA for the past year and my goal is to keep this up. I am so grateful to the teachers who made my success possible and all the staff that worked so hard to help me succeed. By the end of next semester I will be done with Statistics.
I have run into many challenges at school and I have spent every waking moment working towards my goals. I utilize office hours, I ask questions and I keep an open mind. I ask other students their inputs, what they have done to succeed and what I can personally do different. At the beginning of the semester I set a goal for myself. I don’t want an A grade in the class, I want to be the top student in the class. When I set goals such as these I push myself even harder and it helps me to stay focused and determined. School is not a joke and I have never treated it that way, I am so grateful because I have learned my weakness and strengths by facing new challenges every semester. The students and teachers that I interact with have helped me see a side of me that I never knew existed. I believe in myself today and I know I can accomplish anything.
I have already started preparing for next semester. I am keeping in touch with my teachers and have started to put up the blank calendars on my wall for the spring 2015 semester. I know I need to do all the prepping I can in advance so I can succeed. I know I need some space to center my thoughts, my schedule, and my eating habits and prepare. School is hard work and I've learned that in order to succeed you must prepare and put in the work, every day. I’ve learned from experience to not take things for granted because I took everything and everyone in my life for granted.
Every semester I give it my all, I don’t ever want to look back at life or my grades and say to myself “I wish I would have done something different”. I push myself and I don’t let anyone or anything get in the way. I go to the tutorial center after class and I stay there until my work is finished. I come home and put at least 5-6 hours in daily every day. I’ve spent a total of 80 hours in math this semester and 82 hours in biology tutorial center, and I come home and study until 10 pm at night.
I have to work harder than most students because I took a long break and I have had to learn to incorporate study habits and discipline to succeed. College is sacrificing good times with family to study because I know I have a test tomorrow, its coming home right after school and studying more. It’s putting in the work even when I don’t feel like it. But every moment has been worth it, because every time I look at my “A” grade, I smile and say I've earned this and it was hard work.
I’ve demonstrated leadership and service to the school by taking initiative in helping my peers in my classes as well as in the tutorial by teaching and explaining concepts. I have also scheduled meets up in public places to provide additional help. (I am not getting paid for it as the other tutors in the tutorial center are). I really find joy in helping students that are struggling because I have been in that same predicament and often still find myself struggling every semester but I persevere and I love to share that enthusiasm with others because I know it’s possible to get on the other side.

Submitted by Anonymous

Believe In Yourself