I'm proud to be here by Sheri

I'm proud to be here by Sheri - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

The school accomplishment that I am most proud of is just being back in school. After dropping out of college at 19 to start a family, I didn’t think I’d ever return. When I expressed an interest in going back to school a few year and 2 kids later, a close family member I often sought advice from told me I gave up that opportunity when I chose to have a family. I still don’t know why, but I believed that. I felt very unsatisfied in my work life and in general. I had a feeling that I was meant to be doing more than the dead end jobs that I had been working at. I had never known what I wanted to do but I knew that I needed to contribute to the world in a bigger way. After several years, I realized that I had always vaguely known what I had wanted to do since I was a child and just gotten lost on the way. Marine biology is my first love and my calling is ocean conservation.
I knew it would be hard with five kids and a full time job, but I had no idea what I was in for that first semester back. I took on way too much with one class on campus and four online classes. I felt that I didn’t have time to be wasting. I did very well that that semester but it came at the cost of sleep. The second semester went much the same way but it was too much and I failed every class. I was so discouraged and felt I just wasn’t capable of finishing school. I took two years off and was even more unsatisfied. In a strange turn of events, I found myself no longer working. I realized that if I wasn’t working anyway that it was the perfect opportunity to continue school as I wouldn’t be overextended. It was my best chance to make my dream happen.
I threw myself into it and took 4 of the classes I had failed. I passed every one of them, but unfortunately still didn’t make pass rate and lost my financial aid. My financial aid is the only thing that makes taking any classes possible. I filed an appeal but it was too late and I was unable to attend that semester and the next one. After getting the approval, I took two half summer semester classes and passed both but still didn’t meet the pass rate as I had dropped an online class I was doing poorly in. I had an amazing new advisor that fought to get my approval to the board in the two weeks between the summer and fall semesters. My appeal was approved three days into the semester and I registered for all of the classes I needed to stay on track.
This semester was very successful and I made pass rate. By May I will have completed my A.S. The next step is transferring to get my B.S. It has not been an easy road. I’ve had a few fits and starts. I have failed, but more importantly, I kept going. At many points during this journey, I couldn’t imagine getting to this place. I am extremely proud to be so close to my first goal. But I’m even more proud to just be enrolled and taking classes each semester, getting closer to my dream.