So I graduated high school in 2009 and started Community College of Philadelphia in 2014, but I realized the timing was off, so I took a step back.
Came back in 2021 right after the pandemic. And again, it just wasn't the best time: I was working full-time, mom full-time, school full-time. Financially, it just didn't make sense.
So finally, in 2022, I said, you know what? I got to do this. I want this. I recognize what I need to do in order to achieve it, and I just got to keep going and stay persistent.
And I've been taking four classes or more since I've been here. Maximum five.
But it was tough.
And I burnt out very quickly in my first semester. So I had to choose: work or school. And I made the commitment. I said, “I know that this is going to better my future. This is going to give me an opportunity to really kind of advance in my career.”
So I took the leap of faith and just stopped working. And I relied solely on the financial support I received here.
And it's opened my eyes to so many possibilities. Honestly, when you see the tagline, "CCP, Path to Possibilities," it's a real thing. You come here and talk to the teachers, counselors, advisors, and support staff, and you start to realize, 'Wow. ' Wow. the sky is really the limit. Just to be in an environment like this, it's so inspiring and it's so uplifting and it's just really encouraging.
The first person that came to my mind was Professor Sirkis. She was so enthusiastic, and you can tell she just eats, breathes, and sleeps this. She genuinely loves what she does. And that's what I enjoy. I enjoy learning from people like that; you can tell they want to be here. They're passionate about what they're doing. They care about their students and they just have a wealth of knowledge.
Another that comes to mind - English 101 with Professor McColl. He was a great teacher, too. I love to write. I love to read. And he introduced us to literature that I had never experienced before. He opened my eyes to that world of literature and those authors and their beliefs. I still quote so many of the readings that he introduced to us. Toni Morrison's The Source of Self-Regard and her James Baldwin eulogy. It was just so beautiful. It just did something to me, and it made me realize, you can do this.
When the stuff of the mind starts happening, it's just amazing how it just blossoms and just all of a sudden grows, and the connections that start getting made.
Education wasn't valued where I came from, and I felt that coming here would help me bridge the gap.
And now, I have my five-year plan set. I have my 10-year plan set. I'm graduating next week. I'm entering the workforce as a project manager in the arts and culture space.
I just want to pour into my community in the best way possible. So, project management in arts and culture and health and wellness are the two main spaces. I’ll get out there, meet people, build my network, and do that over the course of the next five years. And eventually build my own wellness company.
Humans are these multifaceted things. And the idea for me is to promote a holistic way of solving some of the things that we're dealing with. How nutrition plays a huge role in just how our bodies function, how our brains function, how we respond to things.
So I want build around that and branch out from there. I just got selected to participate in the CCP study abroad program, and I got selected to participate as one of the students to go to India, the home of holistic medicine and yoga.
I'm excited and I'm looking forward to what that might unlock because, like I said, I have a plan.