Personal Narrative

Here I am, a single mother at 38 years old and returning back to school to obtain my degree in Psychology. I started my college career 20 years ago at Louisburg College. I completed two years of college before deciding to drop out and get a job. It seemed like the best decision at the time, since I was struggling financially. I thought it would be easy to pick up where I left off in school, after I took some time to work on my finances. But the truth of the matter was, the longer I waited to complete my academic goals, the harder it seemed to make it a reality. I have procrastinated so long that, I have run out of reasons regarding why, I should not go back to school. I for one have a lot of mixed feels and anxieties about returning to school. At one point, I had giving up on my dreams of a college education. I personally felt, I was too old and not smart enough. I am so tired of working long hours, just to make ends meat. As technology advances and I am not getting any younger, I have come to the realization that a good education is essential to life. Due to the recession, my current job is fading out because more employers are trying to cut cost and do more of their own work loads. After almost 20 years of procrastination and excuses, it is imperative that I learn a new profession, before I am left jobless, with only a high school diploma. One day, I was sitting at home and an Ashford University Admission counselor contacted me about going back to school. I told her I was not interested. She was not like any other admission counselor that had called me in the past. She asked me, if I had a college degree? I responded no. She replied, don't you want to better yourself? I replied, yes of course. That evening, I tried to come up with every excuse possible, why I could not go back to school. The admission counselor was very helpful with assisting me with my questions and my concerns. This woman did not even know me, but she believed that I could do well in school. You can do it, was her exact words while helping me through the enrollment process. Just the tone of her voice convinced me that I could excel in going back to school. She also calmed my fears by enrolling me in and Introduction to Personal Dimensions class, to get me into the swing of going back to school. I decided that day to further my education because I want to be an example to my son, pursue my passion in Psychology and become more financially stable.

My son has been the biggest motivation for me to decide now was the right time to go back to school. Each day when I look into his eyes, it pushes me to want better for myself. I am always stressing the importance of a good education to him. As a parent, it is important to

lead children by example. I am only deceiving myself, if I am preaching things to him, that I am not practicing myself. You can't expect something from nothing. Being an example for my son is a major motivation