A college experience is hard to define. With an array of options to earn a degree to acquire a career, the idea of a genuine "college experience" is not what it used to be.

As a child, I always dreamed of going to college. I knew at the age of nine I wanted to be a teacher, so my college "experience" has been set in stone in my mind at a young age. With my mother being a Ship Alumni and a teacher herself, I knew of the rigorous expectations Education majors must maintain to get their degree. With this in mind, I hope to be the student at Shippensburg who excels in their academic studies, but also maintains friendships and relationships that help create the cliche "college experience" memories. My biggest regret in high school was not being able to find the balance between the two and sacrificing fun for studies, and vice versa. I hope to become a well-rounded person with an open mind, so when the time comes for me to have my own students, I can encourage them to be the best they can and make a difference in the world.

As I already vaguely touched on, the purpose of my education here at Shippensburg is to earn my degree to become a secondary education teacher. Growing up surrounded by amazing teachers, I have heard the success stories from students they have had that made significant improvements in their education with the guidance of these teachers. Not only this, but many students have gone off to do outstanding things to benefit this Earth and society. My goal here is to become an outstanding teacher like the ones who paved the way for me and make impacts on my students lives just as they did. I want to change the world, and the best way at doing so is through the minds of the youth. With the right personality and the passion for the career, I value every new idea placed into my head that will eventually be taught in front of my future pupils. My values and purpose here at Shippensburg are not so much for myself, but for the children's lives and futures, I will impact with my career.

Looking back on my first semester, I believe that I was able to find myself, achieve academically, and create memories with the friends I have made. The college experience has not exactly met with what I imagined in my head, but I would not trade my first few months at Shippensburg for the world.