Personal Narrative: What I Learned At Glen Oaks Community College

If someone were to ask me what I learned in high school, I could say a lot of things. I could talk about my Lifespan Development class and how I learned a lot about babies and prenatal care, and how much it helped me when my sister got pregnant and had questions that I always knew the answer to. I could talk about how much it helped me to learn how to multiply percentages in Algebra, because now when I go grocery shopping, I can add tax and know exactly how much money I’m spending before I even get to the register. I could even talk about how after taking a field trip with my Family Studies class, I realized that I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. These are some of the things I learned in high school that prepared me for life or my next step in education. But if you were to ask me if the writing instruction I received in high school was effective in helping me prepare for the next step in my life, the answer would be no. The writing instruction I received in high school did not adequately prepare me for college.

College is a place where students learn more than a particular subject. A student has a chance to learn more about himself or herself, as well as others by discovering their strengths and weaknesses, thinking critically, and communicating effectively. A few weeks after starting my first term, I found out that I am one-fourth of the way to my degree with 29 credits that transferred from colleges in Arizona. It is now time for a plan of

I was born in Colombia and Spanish was my first language. When I moved to Korea, I had to learn Korean and was behind of learning when I entered an elementary school. When I was in 7th grade which when I was able to perform well academically with the education, I moved to the United States.

I don’t recall having a hard time learning how to read. It was one of those things that just came easily to me for some reason. For the most part I enjoyed reading as well. The only time I didn’t enjoy reading was when I didn’t understand a certain word or a certain phrase. One of the strongest memories I have from learning to read was when I was unable to pronounce the word “the”.

When I was was younger, I was a caterpillar crawling around trying to get through life, waiting to turn into the beautiful butterfly I know I could soon become. I made good decisions along with bad ones, saw the beauty in life as well as the unpleasant. I was like everyone else trying to be their own person, but now as I look at myself in the mirror I can finally see who I really am. I see myself as the beautiful butterfly I once dreamed of becoming, ready to fly down my own path. I have been in my chrysalis and I am finally out and ready to fly into my bright future. Christopher Newport University is the direction I am ready to fly. Transferring to CNU means a brighter future, success, and being one step closer to reaching my goal to become an astonishing kindergarten teacher.

I graduated back in 2013 from a pretty decent school district. During high school I wasn’t an A student or a B student, I just did what I needed in order to pass. Once I got to my junior of high school I started taking things more seriously, I started making A’s and B’s. Once my senior year started the pressure was on. Everyone asking “what college are you thinking about attending?” “What do you want to do?” I didn’t have the answers to those questions, I thought about it a lot, but I Just didn’t have the answers. Now being 20 years old at my third community college, I finally have the answers to those questions. Why am I at my third community college? Simple I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I had to go to college, I didn’t have a choice

In my freshman year, I made a choice to relinquish some of my social life and replace that time giving back to my community. I joined a non-profit organization called the Volunteer Corp. We spent our time at food banks, park clean-ups, and even hosting local events. This experience left a lasting impression on me in many ways; however, one experience changed my perspective on life and serve as a constant reminder of how the smallest contribution to others can be the most powerful.

My body cried like a newborn babe, afraid in an unfamiliar place. Immediately, my fresh eyes were greeted by waves of black hair, friendly smiles, and the Japanese language. I had arrived in Japan. I did not know the language or the customs, but I dove right into the dark pool. I was determined not to let the unknown drown me. Those feelings of my first moments in Japan will be forever cherished in my memories. I will cherish the embarrassing moment I handed the cashier cash instead of placing it in the cash tray and the first time I rode the train. It felt like riding a roller coaster and the first time someone spoke to me in Japanese and I could not understand what he/she had said. Everything made me feel like I was in an entire different dimension. Paying with cash and riding the train now seem mundane, and hearing Japanese being spoken everywhere, but only because it had become part of my life. The train systems no longer seemed impossible and ordering food became a breeze. What I learned from Japan from daily life tasks to communication with the locals helped me mature and made me gain a better sense of self identity. In one year, I experienced life and learned more about myself than I ever could in ten years. It gave me a new sense of purpose academically. Without that experience, I would have

My whole life long, I have been trying to find a place where I can truly fit in. I have also been worried about what I would do when I grew up. I was torn between my passion for horses and my passion for performing. There was no way I could give up one for the other, so I searched the net for Christian colleges that had majors in both equine studies and vocal performance and there it appeared: Asbury University. It was manna from Heaven. After browsing the University website, my mother and I knew we had to visit. We attended an ACCESS event last fall and like the leaves fell to the ground, I fell in love. All of the students were so kind and welcoming, and they all seemed very dedicated to their walks with Christ. Over the course of the few

I first heard of the Trailblazer Collegiate Academy during my freshman year enrollment. The idea of taking college classes at a community college while still in high school was appealing to me because my current coursework took no effort to complete and I wanted a challenge. Once I was a sophomore, I began looking into it more seriously. If I wanted to apply for the Academy, I had a short window of time to do so. After discussing it with my counselor I learned that my classes I took with the community college would factor into my GPA at the high school level. At the time, I dreamed of being valedictorian and was afraid that if I failed a course in community college, it would ruin my chances; however, if I did well in all of my classes, it would

Two years ago, I started my journey as a student in The Dual Language Honors College at Miami Dade College, little did I know that this institution would give me so many opportunities to ascend to a higher level of competitiveness and adroitness. Miami Dade College is the unwavering foundation in my development as a professional and as a person. The college has instilled in me dedication to my community, self-confidence. Furthermore, the college and its faculty have always been the driving force that pushes me to set competitive goals and believe in the power of my dreams.

“Four AP classes is a lot,” my parents warned, reading the list of courses I would take in the fall. “Are you sure you can manage that?"

The Mora High School cafeteria is a very familiar place to me, with it’s columns in the middle of the room, the off-white paint, and white and blue tiled floor. The cafeteria is usually a place full of a lot of kids and incredible amounts of noise. It’s nearly empty except for the four tables placed in the formation of a square near the little nook where the lunch ladies serve us food, or at least what tries to pass as food. The seats around each table are occupied by the cast of Annie celebrating the completion of their second show. The cast of Annie doesn’t even come close to filling the cafeteria, but the noise level could nearly be the same as when it’s fully filled during lunch. Over the years that’s what I’ve come to expect from the play kids. Play kids are a special breed of people. We’re super quirky, and we don’t care what other people think about us. There may not be many of us, but we are very good at creating a lot of noise.

When I walked into Mr. Clayton’s class last year on the first day of school I laughed when he said, “I’m going to teach you how to read.” Little did I know he wasn’t kidding. I was a little intimidated taking his class because in my previous freshman year I was in non-honors English 1. All my life I’ve had trouble interpreting and really understanding beyond the general storyline. The first thing Mr. Clayton talked to us about was learning the deeper meaning behind things and I started to get genuinely worried because I knew this wasn’t my strong suit. English was never my good side; I’ve always been a math and science type of person. I began to ask myself, “why did I decide to take honors?” When I look back on the beginning of that year to the end, my confidence in inferring and just being able to get more out of a story skyrocketed. Without really telling me, Mr. Clayton taught me, in the simplest terms, not to give up. This inability to understand was almost like a learning disability for me and he really made me realize I could overcome anything. His class and him as a person has made me a better reader and I can see it through things that happen in my daily life. Whether I’m doing my homework, taking a test, or just listening to music on the radio Mr. Clayton has completely

My experiences and what I have learned from them will add to the Towson University campus community. The world I come from is based around a family which displays strength and resilience. I come from a military family where both my mother and father have served many years. My mother served for nineteen years in the U.S. Navy while my dad served for several years in the U.S. Marines. I have three siblings, all within five to ten years older than me. This inspired independence at a young age. My family became disjointed when my mother passed away suddenly due to a rare virus contracted while she was deployed.