I have been blessed to accomplish some wonderful things in my life in which the latest is taking an idea, shaping it into a story and writing my first draft of that story. However, the accomplishment I am “most” proud of is graduating from college. I am proud of this feat because it was a dream I almost had to give up.
I had always planned to attend college at UCLA and made sure that I met all of the college entrance requirements. However, in the summer between my junior and senior year in high school, I made a mistake. All it took was being “home alone”, a bottle of ill-gotten wine, and the Isley Brothers’ “Hello, It’s Me” on the record player. I became pregnant at the age of sixteen. I did not marry and became a single teenage mother three months before high-school graduation….. but I did make it to the prom and marched down the aisle to get my diploma.
So, now I had made a life-altering decision. All I wanted was to be a good mother and to go on to college. I turned eighteen 3 months after high school graduation and 1 month later I had a full-time office clerical job. The fall semester after my son turned two years old (and was potty trained), I started college at UH. With the help of my parents and my extended family, I parented my son, worked 40 hrs/week, and attended college. I took a minimum of 12 hours a semester, attended every summer session, and gave up all social activities. It took me 5 years instead of 4 but I made it through to graduation and acquired the one thing that can never be taken away from me……….an education.
Sometimes I look back on that experience and I am amazed at how I did it. It was so HARD but I was SO focused. I think if I had stopped and just thought about the magnitude of what I was doing I probably would have labeled it as “impossible” and gave up. But I did not stop and I did not give up.
And, this is why it is the accomplishment that I am most proud of.
I so admire your ability to see the long term benefits in life and keep working toward them. It’s something that’s really hard for me and you set a fabulous example.
Hi Kizz,
I AM surprised I stuck with it. It wasn’t easy and there were some days life got in the way. I found it beneficial to just determine a 1 hour slot in my day to do it and that seemed to work.
Elaine,
Thanks for sharing this accomplishment. And what an accomplishment it is! I went back to college after years of being out. I completed my Master’s degree as a single mother living on a Teaching Assistant stipend of $10,000 a year (most times without any child support). I’m not sure how I did it, either, but the education was priceless. I wish we could inspire the respect for education that it deserves, as it truly opens the world.
Stacy, we both survived our journey in the spirit of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached during the Civil Right Movement. We kept our eyes on the PRIZE! This is what we should stress to the youth – Education is the PRIZE that can lead to every good thing in life.
thanks SO much for always sharing. I really appreciate your comments.