First and Second Year Experiences As a new freshman at the University of South Carolina, I had no concerns about living in campus housing. For me, that meant a really small room with one other roommate and a hall...
My only high school academic and career planning was looking at drawings of airplanes in my best friend’s father’s office. He was an aerospace engineer. I made a life decision...
What I thought was my step back is now my new journey. Finding my passion in not what I want to be but who I wanted to be. I acknowledge the smaller achievements in life and...
I am a first-generation college student. It’s one of my most proud accomplishments. However, for a while, I was not sure I’d be able to attend college. My parents immigrated to...
College was my pathway. Although it is not the only pathway to having a successful life, higher education is the great equalizer. I grew up in a working-class family, and now I am...
In 2017, I didn’t really have anyone that I could go to for help as I prepared to graduate from high school. I wanted to make not just myself, but my family and my community...
Summer of 2018, I took a class sociology class with Professor Smoot (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and we discussed a term called “Grit”. Personally, the word grit has played a huge role in...
I studied education and history at the University of Georgia. Then I came home to AU to study public administration. I had to overcome loneliness and depression. But this...
One of the most challenging and rewarding things I ever did was travel to Germany and work as a TA for a Comparative Politics Course. I knew one person in my new city. I decided...
When I was a sophomore in college, I was in a serious car accident. Not knowing how long my recovery would take, I was faced with a choice. Should I withdraw from school or try to...