It starts with this very first thing, NO, I did NOT fail. I never failed out of college, that doesn't mean I had straight A's don't get me wrong, but I was never forced to leave a school. After about a year and half at VCU, my number one choice school mind you, I was very unhappy. I loved being in the city, but I didn't care for my classes or the opportunities that were available to me. I really wanted to be doing something more creative and to be honest, I was homesick a lot. I decided to transfer back to the community college where I completed my Associate's Degree. During my time at NOVA I started to work a lot. I even started to put work in front of my school work. I enjoyed getting a paycheck and then spending those paychecks. I really enjoyed traveling and found myself wanting to work and travel more than I wanted a degree. So my grades fell by the waist side and that's when I decided to become a full-time online student. I thought I could totally work a full-time job and do my homework at night. It's much easier said than done though. It wasn't until this time last year when I was a straight C student and I just thought, I'm never going to graduate. If I'm being honest, I thought about quitting, more than once. School just isn't my thing. I was learning more in the real world then I was in those $500 textbooks. I just became so unmotivated and uninspiried by school. It really was because of my mom when I just had a breakdown moment. I was broke, unmotivated, hating school, hating my life, and my mom honestly got me out of my funk. Okay, it was more than one breakdown, but still. My mom was there for me to guide me and inspire me in ways that I couldn't do myself. I got my act together and started to put school first. My assignments were getting done before the due dates, I was studying for my finals, and before I knew it my GPA was raising. I was so mad at myself, because this was so easy. Why hadn't I been doing this the whole time? I met with my advisor and when he told me that I could graduate next semester (May 2017), I was in shock. I had done it. I worked my ass off, excuse my language, to make sure that I graduated this semester. I was doing homework assignments at the beach, at the lake, staying up all hours of the night to make sure that it got done. Yeah, I know college students do that already, but I wasn't cut out to be a college student. It's not that it was hard, I honestly, just didn't want to do it. However, here I am. I finally graduated and recieved my Bachelor's Degree.
School isn't for everybody, and that's okay. It's just something that I had to do. I know the next question you're going to ask is "Do I regret transferring and getting off track?" My answer, hell no. There are so many amazing things and opportunities that came from me transferring. If I hadn't transferred I wouldn't have three internships and two paid marketing jobs on my resume. Which taught me way more than school ever did. I wouldn't have traveled as much as I have. I did a ten hour road trip all by myself, well with Lumpy my pet hedgehog, which is something I never would have been able to, or would have done, if I had stayed in Richmond. I met some amazing people who are still some of my closets friends to this day. I had some of the best jobs (Godiva, MPCC, even Jared's!) that taught me so much about myself and how to work with differnet types of people. I never would have adopted Lumpy or Oliver. I never would have reconnected with Omar and have my own apartment. I never would have moved to North Carolina. I never would of had that extra time spent with loved ones that I've lost. I never would have found my passion and I defintely never would have started this blog! These past few years I have been through the most ups and downs I have ever experienced. The highs were defintely highs, but the lows, were really low. All of those experiences though, made me to who I am today. I'm not scared of what challeneges I face in these next few years, because I know I'm right where I'm meant to be.
xoxo, Michele
