You Think You Know Me? You Have No Idea.
I am a first generation college student. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, the valley more specifically, and I have not always been a successful student. Before college, I did not have a very positive self concept. I did not have a clear idea of where I wanted to be in my life and my career. Looking back, I had a really tough time because there was no set path for me to follow and that really scared me. In fact, it still does. After I graduated high school I went to community college, mostly because of a social need. I felt like I should because everyone else was going to college and I had no other idea of what to do. My first two years of college were very easy. This was a huge change from high school and middle school where I went through a magnet program and so more work was expected of me. I cannot say I had of a lot of success with my grades going through these programs. However, they really prepared me, with a huge emphasis on the Humanities magnet program I attended in high school, to be better in college than the peers I was sitting next to in my 101 classes. Sure, because I am now more mature I regret not taking more advantage of getting all A’s my first two years, however I do think I was successful for maintaining a 3.5 grade point average and not dropping out of college or university like some of my more successful peers from high school did.