11 years ago, I was finishing my senior year of high school. I was off to Greensboro College in the fall, to be a theater performance major. I always smile when I think back about that place. I have so many wonderful memories there, even though it was home for less than two years. I wish I had appreciated it more at the time.
But I became distracted and discontent and decided to take a semester off to get my head straight and so left in the Spring Semester of 2000. That ended up being a long "semester."
A wedding, two kids, a failed attempt to get a job with a MCSE, and then working over 80 hours a week later, I wouldn't finally return to school until Fall of '04. I took 3 or 4 classes online through FTCC, deciding my major should reflect my day job, Accounting. I finished up that semester ok, not great, but not bad.
Then I missed the deadline to sign up for classes in the Spring of '05. Once again, I took a break.
I wouldn't return to school until the Summer of '06. This time, my life turned upside down in between by the end of my marriage.
I think, other than one Summer Session, I was continuously enrolled until Spring '09.
I was so close in Fall '07, I would have been done in Spring '08, but my schedule got dropped, due to a mix up in Financial Aid, and I lost some of the classes I needed when I got it corrected.
Then in Spring '08, I was ready to finish again. Only to find out, that I couldn't keep up with 16 credit hours, two jobs and the kids living with me. I dropped down to 13 and put my last semester off until the Fall.
I took the last of my classes in the Fall of '08. Only I messed up the deadline for the application for graduation and whatnot, so here I am, Spring of '09, finally ready to walk. 11 years removed from high school, 7 years from my original "intended" graduation date, 5 years from my first taking a class at FTCC, I am finally graduating with my Associates, my "2 year" degree. No honors, but I think I'll take walking with a 3.0, IIRC, that's better than I did in high school.
Today is a day to look back, next week I will look forward.
I know I couldn't have done this without
And, of course,
My classmates, were very varied, community college doesn't generally get the "best and the brightest." I saw some excellent students out there, but then a lot who would make my head explode, from the sheer, "how could you be that wrong factor?!?!?" But with my time at FTCC almost exclusively online, I really didn't get to know them that well either. It's kind of odd to think tonight, I will graduate with mostly strangers.
When I think of my college friends, I think of all the wonderful folks back at Greensboro College. Even to this day, when I go by there, I step on the campus with a smile, part of me feels like I'm home, even though I know I won't run into any of the folks I went to school with.
11 years to complete my first "two years" of college. Hopefully, I can cut that in half for the next "two years."
But "Here's to today!" and yet another Waypoint on this grand adventure we call life.