Monday, July 22, 2013

. Graduation Day .

I accomplished something great on May 18th 2013. Sometimes we accomplish something that we don't know is as amazing as it is. Graduating from college with my undergraduate degree, was one of those accomplishments.

Let me tell you why...After leaving school after my junior year of college, with a GPA that was so low I was close to being expelled, I decided to take a break from school. I just ended a relationship and was thouroughly confused. My mom was coming to visit me and help me figure things out when I said, enough is enough. I packed my car as full as it would go, packed up my 2 cats and Izzie, and drove the 9 hours through the evening/night to my sister's house in VA. By the time I got to VA, my sister had gotten me a job.

I temporarily moved to her basement, before moving to a variety of different apartment, with different roommates. I worked odd jobs, mostly waitressing. In February of 2012 I found a fulltime job that came with benefits, a first for me. I was a housekeeper at a university, cleaning girls dorm bathrooms. I was so envious of them and told them to enjoy it, because I wish I could go back to school. It made me think, was it possible for me to go back to school? I called my school on a whim and sure enough, it wasn't too late for me. I enrolled back into school, gave my 2 weeks notice at work, and moved back to NY.

I moved back into my house, which was still for sale after almost 2 years on the market, and I found an amazing job at a bakery / soup company. I started my senior year in college in August of 2012. It was odd to be back, no one looked familiar. I wasn't there to make friends, I was there to get my degree!

While working mostly fulltime and going to school fulltime, and running an ok household, which included caring for 2 animals, I managed to make the deans list my first semester. I could now officially graduate, my GPA was high enough!! I took a full courseload in the fall, a intensive winter class during christmas break, a full courseload in the spring, I walked the graduation ceremony, and enrolled in 3 more intensive summer classes in order to get enough credits to get my degree (I now have one more week left in my last class).

While I often forget how great of an accomplishment this is, I do realize that this is almost unbelievable. I went from academic probation, to being a semester away from being expelled, to making dean's list and walking the graduation ceremony. And while most people don't think about it, myself included, I did all of that in my second language. It is a great accomplishment and I am proud of myself.

Here are some of the pictures!

{per my dad's request - excuse the picture quality}

 


 

 
It is for a few special people that helped me along the way...you know who you are. I couldn't have done it without your help / encouragement / blessings / support & love


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