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When I first came to Fullerton College, it was right after I had spent a year at a different university. I went to that university because the major suggested to me prevailed at that school. When I got there however, it was the first time that I had a taste of freedom. Maybe I delve in too deep, but I liked it. I enjoyed every minute of it, until I hit hard times that lead me to Fullerton College. The transition was effortless, my old habits stuck hard. I have to say, my first three years here were more or less in shambles. I juggled a part-time job, a moderate course load and a lavish social life. To say that my academics didn’t go well would be an understatement; every ounce of me wanted to break free. It got to the point where I had decided to take a semester off, thinking that it would rev my drive for school. And it did. But it wasn’t easy. It was all fun and games until I made several decisions that came with daunting consequences that will follow me for years to come. I think that was the trick though. One morning late November, I woke up extremely displeased with myself, and I just knew that I wanted to go back to school. I grew up thinking it would be so easy, that I could coast right on through, but laughter echoed after my efforts.
When I got back this spring, I petitioned for about thirty classes that first week; I got so lucky. It must have been the new mindset I had, a whole different approach I took to my education, but I started to achieve things I didn’t even imagine possible. Before I didn’t even appreciate the small class size and formidable atmosphere, I thought it was tough. I am not only able to keep up in class now, but I participate every chance I get. I never thought I’d see me raise my hand in class or attend office hours but the feeling is so rewarding. When you put in effort, you get results, absolutely positively rewarding results. The driving forces though are my exceptionally approachable and attentive professors. The office hours aren’t an intimidating experience; I find so much value in them. In fact, I couldn’t believe it when one of my professors noticed my hard work and expressed that I would be a great TAP student facilitator; I was shocked. I’ve always had bad experiences with teachers, talking to them gave me the heebie jeebies; I was always causing trouble. Also, since I never actually knew what was going on in class, talking to the teachers was definitely a no-no. So when this happened, I didn’t know how to react, I’d never been in the limelight academically before. Although I still have a long way to go, I think I gave myself a great start (studying efficiently is the next step). The end result? I am ending this semester with the best grades I’ve ever had (deservedly so), and I will be part of the TAP student facilitator team here at Fullerton College for 2013-2014.
1990
Computer Science
2009—Present