A few years ago The idea of attending college seemed more of an idea rather than a possibility. I was one of those students who did just enough to get by in high school, some summers I even spent in summer school just to make it to the next grade. This wasn't a reflection of my intelligence, just a reflection of my attitude towards school and lack of ambition to learn. I was young and immature and didn't realize how important school really was. I certainly regret not doing my best in middle and high school.
Once graduated I pursued my passions of culinary arts by getting jobs in a restaurant, as well as a job in a bakery. After a long couple years of working hard but getting nowhere I realized I needed a change in my life. In order to have a happier more successful life as an adult I would need to attend college. It has been a dream of mine since I was young, to call Maine my home and when making the decision to attend college, Maine was the first place I had in mind. More determined than ever to create a new future for myself I applied to Southern Maine Community College, packed my bags and moved to Maine. Little did I realize how life changing this decision would be.
During my first semester at SMCC I had the opportunity to attend a Spring Break trip to Ireland held by Bill McClaren. I had always dreamt of visiting Ireland and what better of an opportunity than while I'm in College. The trip was incredible and eye opening to say the least, from that moment I knew it would only be a matter of time before I would find myself back in this beautiful country. Which a short time later I had been talking to other students about my trip when they mentioned the George J. Peace scholarship. After some research I found that I had already missed the deadlines for that year which was okay because that gave me more time to prepare myself for what would be my next academic goal. Over the next year I worked hard to improve my grades, and got more involved in the community through internships. I never would have thought I would be standing here a college student especially with good grades, nor a student to be selected for such a prestigious award that would result in me spending a semester abroad. I've learned with the right attitude and determination you can achieve anything. With such an incredible opportunity my goal is to accomplish the most with everyday I spend in Ireland, which I will be sharing on this Blog weekly.
No comments:
Post a Comment