Hey everyone! Beth here at the Cabell County Family Resource Network.
Today, I want to talk about higher education—aka college. In full transparency, I was a great high school student but a terrible college student… until I wasn’t. It took me years to finally earn my bachelor’s degree, and the secret to making it happen was both simple and complex: a support system and recognizing that my failures were just opportunities to be better the next time. The Early Struggles Right out of high school in 2008, I enrolled at Marshall University as a Forensic Chemistry major. My ACT scores were high enough to get me in, but I had taken zero chemistry and zero biology in high school. At the time, chemistry majors were required to minor in biology, and as a freshman, I didn’t know how to advocate for myself—or even that I needed to. Without guidance or a support system, I struggled. I dropped most of my courses and failed another. Eventually, I dropped out. Over the years, I re-enrolled at Marshall too many times to count, trying different majors—Criminal Justice, then Natural Resources and Recreation Management. It wasn’t that these programs were bad; I just couldn’t commit to the work while also holding a job to support myself. Without a support system, college felt impossible. A Different Path During one of my many transitions, I enrolled at Mountwest Community & Technical College to pursue an associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies. However, in my last semester, I realized that wasn’t the career path I wanted. Instead of giving up completely, I looked into how I could still earn a degree with the credits I had. In May 2013, I graduated with a Board of Governors degree—a general studies associate’s degree with most of my credits in paralegal studies. Coming Full Circle Fast forward to 2020. COVID hit, the world shut down, and I was home with my six-month-old. I needed something to do. With the support of my now-husband, I re-enrolled at Marshall—this time, for the last time (or so I thought). I pursued a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree, which allowed me to apply all my previous credits toward a degree. Between May and December 2020, I completed seven online courses and finally earned my bachelor’s degree—with a minor in Criminal Justice! Ironically, in January 2021, I started working as a paralegal—remember when I said I didn't want to be a paralegal all those years ago? A New Chapter In January 2022, I had my second son. That March, our family moved to Louisiana while I was still technically on maternity leave. I was at a crossroads—should I find a job or go back to school? My husband and I talked about it for months, and ultimately, I decided to return to school. In January 2023, I started graduate school for a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies. After my first semester, I decided to pursue a second master’s degree. For over a year, I worked on both degrees simultaneously. I graduated with my MA in Leadership Studies in 2024 and will complete my Master of Public Administration (with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management) in May of this year. The Takeaway The point of this long-winded story? You will fail—maybe more than once. But failure doesn’t mean you should give up. It is never too late to go back to school and do the hard work. Find a good support system. Sometimes, that won’t be the people closest to you. Step outside your comfort zone—go to community meetings, attend events that interest you, and connect with others. You might be surprised where you find support. Your journey won’t look like mine, and that’s okay. Just don’t be afraid to take the first step, and if you need support in doing so, please reach out to me!
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