Proud of being a "non-traditional" student!
When I decided to come to college I was really nervous about being an older student. I had been to MontCo in 1997 to attend the New Choices/New Options program. It was an excellent program, it still is! Going to college was something I always wanted to do, but having had children at a young age I spent the fifteen years after high school raising my children. I was working at a job I loved, and was planning to come only part-time.
Since I had already had a good experience here, this was the place where I decided I would start my college career. By the early part of June I found out I was being laid off, so I decided I would come back full-time. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to handle the coursework, or that I would stand out and feel awkward. When I got into the classroom, I found that there were other students in my age range and older, and as for the academic part of it-I was definitely up to the challenge. I loved the interaction with my instructors and my classmates. It was really nice being the person that people wanted to partner with for group work, and being the one that people asked for notes from because they knew I was taking massive amounts of notes every class period.
I learned a lot from my classmates and my instructors. One of the most important things I learned was that I was capable of handling the coursework, and often took on additional assignments to improve my understanding of the subject and to improve my grade. I knew I could count on my own abilities to get me where I wanted to be. I am proud to say that I have completed not only one, but two degrees in the three years that I have been at MCCC, and both are stamped with either Summa Cum Laude or Magna Cum Laude. I reached my goal!!
