Staff Writer
It all began on a warm Sunday morning during my sophomore year in college. I was sitting in my dorm room at the University of the Pacific, awaiting my mom’s weekly phone call. One might say that the umbilical chord had never really been cut between my mother and me. We have an eerie sixth sense with one another, which is why I knew when I picked up the phone that morning that there was something in her voice that made me realize that bad news was soon to come.
“Ash, we need to talk about something… Your financial aid package came for next semester… and I need you to go to the student accounts office and talk to one of the counselors about some options you might have with student loans.”
From that moment on, the days seemed to pass like minutes before I was packing my bags to go home. While every one else was awaiting Christmas vacation, I was dreading the idea of going home. Home was now my reality- the reality that I wasn’t coming back to school.
What would have been the second semester of my sophomore year became forty-five hours a week of work at my old high school job: the local Baskin Robbins. It was in June that I decided something needed to change. The majority of students in my town who left college never went back and I refused to be one them.
It was then that I started doing my research. I didn’t want to go to just any school: I wanted to go to the best one I could find within my area. After asking around, going to websites, and visiting UCONN, Norwalk Community College, Sacred Heart, University of Bridgeport, and a dozen more I finally found HCC.
I had decided this was my chance to take a variety of classes instead of following the guidelines my previous school had insisted upon. It was because of this decision that I was actually able to find my passion.
I had enrolled in Ceramics, US History, Basic Journalism, World Geography, and Intro to Theatre. Like many students walking the halls today, I was overwhelmed during the first few weeks. I had hoped for a school that would challenge me, a school that I felt I could find myself in. I never considered the idea that my hopes could have been fulfilled in only the first few weeks.
I soon found out that the majority of professors at HCC also taught at other four-year schools. They didn’t expect any less of the students because we were at a community college. In fact, I felt more challenged than I had in high school and at Pacific. The homework was based more on significance of information than memorization, the class work was much more interactive, and the testing wasn’t based on competition between the students as it had been at my previous schools.
Housatonic Community College was proving to be a much more rigorous education than I had anticipated, and the flexible class schedules allowed me time to work outside of school so I could save money in hopes of finishing my Bachelors Degree.
I had finally been given the chance to reach out and learn about new subjects which hadn’t been available to me before and because of this I found an interest in learning again. I had always wanted to excel in school because I knew it was important, but Housatonic made me realize my true passion for learning. I became excited to go to classes and learn about things and strengthen new skills that I had never considered before. In short, I became enthused, elated, and curious about EVERYTHING. My eyes were now open to the options I had and how much there was for me to learn.
After my first semester at Housatonic, I realized that in order for me to be able to graduate with my class I was going to need to double-up on classes. So I registered fifteen units at UCONN and twelve units at Housatonic. One might say I was a little crazy for taking nine classes all at once, but I was excited to prove to myself that I could do it and I could do it well. Housatonic had taught me that learning could be fun again and that I should learn as much as I can while I had the opportunity.
I soared through the next semester, barely stopping to eat and sleep between classes. It was as if something had taken over me: I became a force to be reckoned with in the classroom. I paid attention in class, asked questions, constantly sought advice from professors, and took advantage of every penny I paid to both schools. I was determined to get as much out of my time at Housatonic and UCONN as I could.
By the end of the year, I had re-applied to Pacific in hopes of being able to go back to California and graduate with my class: praying that they would accept all the credits from home. I was delighted to learn that not only was I re-accepted, but also I had been given a large scholarship because of the essay I had written to the financial aid board concerning everything I had been through and learned while I was at Housatonic and UCONN.
I went back to Pacific as a senior in college, with memories of what I had learned, friends I had left behind, and promises I had made to myself that I would never forget the passion for learning I had found while at Housatonic.
On May 20, 2006, I walked across the stage at the University of the Pacific to receive my Bachelor of the Arts degree in English and Communication. Walking past the Pacific professors, I imagined all the teachers back in Connecticut sitting amongst them, clapping and smiling. It was because of both coasts of teachers that I had made it that far.
I got off the plane from California to Connecticut with my degree in my carry-on, a welcome letter from my new job at a publications company in my back pocket, and anticipation for the future in my heart.
My story is not meant to be an illustration of what your time here at Housatonic should be like. It is meant only to encourage students here at HCC to truly take advantage of what this school has to offer.
Every student’s situation is different. Not everyone has been given the same opportunities as others, but while you are here, it is in your best interest to get as much out of your time here as possible. In fact, I enjoyed my time here so much that I came back to take classes at night just for fun. Learning never has to stop, no matter what pieces of paper you have hanging on your wall or sitting on your mantle.
Succeeding isn’t just about what you learn in a classroom; it’s about understanding why it’s being taught. There is significance to everything, including your own life. However, you are the only person who determines your life’s own significance.
Housatonic Community College can offer you anything as long as you make the decision to take from it all that you can. So welcome students! I’ll leave you with a quote from a song which I believe sums it all up… “Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten…”
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