Finally taking the step by Karie

Finally taking the step by Karie - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

After twenty-five years of working toward it, I am closer than ever to having my Bachelor's degree. I started off just like the average high school graduate unsure and anxious to start the next part of my life. I knew, unlike my parents, I needed to go to college. What I did not know was what degree I would pursue or what I would do with that degree. I was not prepared for the big university and I was not prepared for the freedom I was allowed in college. Soon, I began to doubt my choice to go to college, creating all the typical excuses to drop out of college. The most prevalent excuse being that I just wanted to work and figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I joined the work force, working minimum wage jobs, sometimes three at a time. It was during this time I experienced living out on my own, all the fun and the responsibilities that go along with being an adult. Work was never something I avoided, I pride myself in being a dependable, energetic employee. However, paying the bills was difficult at times and I knew I was capable of so much more. Over the next decade of my life, I kept attempting college. I would motivate myself to sign up for classes, complete financial aid forms and make it through one or two semesters. I was ever changing my major, skipping around all different fields of study. All the while, not knowing what I really wanted to do with my life. In addition, I was accumulating a great amount of student debt.

One day, about sixteen years ago, I happened upon a job that would change my life. It was an entry level position at a care facility for people with developmental disabilities. I was told that I would be working in a group home, assisting people with both intellectual and developmental disabilities. I was there to assist them when needed but also to teach them independence, so they would move on to less supportive homes. I was also taught to advocate for a population that is often forgotten in civil rights movements. I fell in love with this job and I found my passion. I spent the next sixteen years working in several positions and moving my way up to case management for the clients with disabilities.

I always knew how important a degree was to have and I knew one day it would be beneficial. I even had supervisors and peers encourage me to return to school to finish my degree. I actually went back and received an Associate's by default. I had acquired so many credits through the years, all I had was a handful of general classes to get an Associates. That was as far as I went, diving deep into my work. I dedicated all my energy into being the best case worker and advocate for people with disabilities. I took all the training and education my employers would offer, I studied on my own and was always asking ways to be better at my job. I never found the time to go back to school and a part of me just believed I was set without it.

Until one day, my life plan was derailed. The company was restructuring, regulations and policy was changing. My job position was being merged, they no longer wanted eight case workers but only wanted four with a larger case load. I was the first to be cut because all other case workers had Bachelors or Masters degrees. I could no longer do the job I loved so much. I had found my career and now I had to let it go. I knew that day I had to do something about school.

So today, I finish my second consecutive semester and the first semester of my social work program. My greatest accomplishment in school is finally taking the step to finish my degree. It took a complete life disruption to get me here. At my age and at the advanced stage in my life, I was terrified of change, scared I could no longer keep up with the college pace. I took the step because I knew I had to if I was ever going to get back to the career I wanted. I took the step because it should have been completed a long time ago but it is never too late. I have made all A's so far in all my classes. I work very hard to excel in my courses and to get all the knowledge possible while I am in school. I want to get the most out college education so that I can use it to be the best social worker/case manager. It is not easy, I find it more difficult now than when I was eighteen but I know I can get through it. The fact that I took the first step and that I am still moving forward is my greatest accomplishment.