A Shiny Decal That Changed My Life! by Vanessa

A Shiny Decal That Changed My Life! by Vanessa - March 2014 Scholarship Essay

One of my greatest academic achievements happened recently. I recently graduated from Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Connecticut in December of 2013 with my associate’s degree in General Students; with honors. On my college diploma a beautiful gold decal, stating Cum Laude, shined luminously. Last year my goal was to graduate with honors and I accomplished it. Before I set this goal, I just wanted to make it through college with a piece of paper so I could apply for a better job.

I was a student that struggled to complete assignments because I was a procrastinator due to a busy life outside of school. My life as a nontraditional college student was and still is a roller coaster. I’m a single mother of a ten-year-old boy and I work full-time as a certified nursing assistant. So life was busy and sometimes homework was put on the back burner. As I supported my son and myself living paycheck to paycheck, doing the bare minimum by going to college from class to class to fill in my plan of study was enough for me. One day my conventional thinking about my academics changed.

The day I became president of the F.E.M.A.L.E.S. (Females Excelling and Maturing to Achieve Leadership Excellence and Success) Club on campus, is the day I challenged myself socially and academically. I raised my hand higher in class, I stopped apologizing for asking questions about schoolwork that I didn’t understand, and I memorized the hours of operation for the library on campus. I had to set a good example for the members of my club, which meant I had to improve my grades and in return promote academic success as a priority. As the president of the F.E.M.A.L.E.S. club, I couldn’t talk the talk and not walk the walk. So I walked the walk, and I graduated Cum Laude. Achieving this goal has continued to motivate me as I currently pursue my bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Achieving Cum Laude has impacted me and motivated me to continue to strenuously study more so I can graduate Magna Cum Laude from Bay Path.