Audrey Hepburn, a British actress once said, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’”. This can indelibly be Jennifer’s mantra “I’m possible” after being told many times that attending college was not possible for her.
I struggled at first throughout grade school with my disabilities. Being told at a young age that I was different than the other kids in my class regarding achieving the same goals, made it hard for me to accept myself. My reading was not on the same level as the other kids in my class, and my comprehension skills were weaker for my age group. Reading at a lower level in turned affected my spelling ability. In elementary school, I had an Individual Education Program (IEP), and this became a fixture in my academic profile throughout school until high school. I would leave class early and go to another class to get hands on learning from another teacher. I felt stupid and thought I was not able to excel like everyone else in my class. My friends would always inquired of me, where I was going, and I was too embarrassed to talk about it. The older I got, the easier it was for me to accept who I was. Everyone is different in their own unique way. People learn at different speeds and people excel at different rates. This is what makes people beautiful in their own way. In high school, I did not planned on furthering my education, because I was not sure that I was cutout for college. I was not academically on the same level as other students at my grade level. Therefore, making the choice to get my Associates of Arts (AA) degree wasn’t easy. It took me a little longer to complete my AA, but once I finished, I realized that I was capable of continuing my education. For the first time, I enjoyed learning and I had a goal that I wanted to achieve.
I am not the greatest at test taking; multiple choice questions have always given me test anxiety, and I do much better on fill in the blank questions. The extra time that is offered to me when taking an exam, helps me stay focused and not give up. I have learned to take tests from back to front [or bottom to top], which helps a lot. Even if I failed do well on an exam, I know that I would have tried my hardest. Applying myself is all that matters and never giving up is very important. After finishing my AA in Criminal Justice at a junior college in Marianna, Florida, I enrolled at Palm Beach State College (PBSC) as a Biology major and later transferred to Florida Atlantic University (FAU). I started FAU in 2016, and I am now a junior and will be graduating in the spring 2019 with a BA in General Science and two certificates, one in Environmental Science and GIS Mapping. I am currently a fulltime student, but most of my college years, I attended as part-time—focusing on one or two classes per semester. I believe that certificates are a great way to explore more options in learning about things that captures the interest. The certificate can then be used, if criteria is met, to fulfill any electives requirements. My GIS Mapping certificate also opened many opportunities for employment as well.
Recently, I started volunteering at a local state park this past year and was offered a part-time position within five months of volunteering. Through this experience, I discovered the importance of volunteering. Volunteering will provide a foot-in-the-door, and it is the best networking opportunity for future success. My end goal is to stay in the Park Service for a couple years, then apply to Florida Fish and Wildlife. It is completely natural to change one’s goal as long as it is achieve in the end.
Finding an interest makes the work seem easy and the struggle worth it. As I look back on my journey and the path traveled, I would have never guessed that I would be completing my Bachelor. The feeling of accomplishment makes all the struggles, all the sleepless nights, all the coffee worth it. Everyone has his or her own space and it is never too late to start and to finish something.
June 2018