What motivates you to pursue your academic goals and how do you stay focused?? by Colleen

What motivates you to pursue your academic goals and how do you stay focused?? by Colleen - April 2024 Scholarship Essay

I have always been a go getter in life. I had a commercial cleaning franchise and lost it due to the pandemic. From there I went and worked in a retail environment and ended up getting sick. I thought it was Covid-19 to my surprise it turned out to be Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Large T cell cancer. I went through chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant, I am two years in remission. Having cancer motivated me to change my career since I can no longer work in the same industry as I was. The doctors were stumped on how I got cancer so now, I am pursuing my bachelor's degree in psychology. This new chapter is completely opposite than what I was doing for my previous career. I want to be a better version of myself and am doing that.
Staying focused is easy for me as I am an older student without any distractions such as young children, work, or the demands of everyday life other than doctor appointments. With class being online it has a little more flexibility, however, I set certain hours a day aside for my class work, studying, and exams. I go to school full time online. Since starting school, I told myself I wanted to maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher and I am currently at a 3.95 and am very proud of my hard work and dedication. When I am in class, even though we are not physically in the classroom or having online interaction I still make sure there are no distractions happening around me. The television is off, door closed letting my family know that I am busy with school. We are all adults, so they understand that time is needed to handle everything for class. This is the best decision I have made, am looking forward to the rest of my time there and then to graduate school. Welcoming the new and exciting chapters which lie ahead.