Community college wasn't my first choice.

Ever since I was young, I've always aspired to go to college. Just like every other high school senior, I banked on getting accepted to a 4-year college and a possible scholarship to go with it. Looking back now, I'm shocked on how long I kept up the facade of optimism without ever addressing my true reality. I was an average student in high school and my grades proved it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this until my senior year, and by the time I came to this realization, I was too late. I put all my eggs in one basket (or should I say in one school), only to be completely disappointed when I wasn't accepted.

My family had always mentioned and advised community college as a possibility, but if you're like I was, I had such a disdain for anything to do with community college. I once thought it was a place only for adults who never went to college right after high school. I thought that because community college is typically cheaper than a university I would in return get a "cheap" education.

I was wrong.

Not only did I receive a quality education that transferred to my dream university, but I also came across all walks of life in some of my classes. Surprisingly, I met multiple students my age that thought the same as I once had. I grew fond of the diversity in each and every class, appreciating everyone's life story and the reason for being there. Some of my classmates were mom's, dad's, even grandparents with a full-time job! Not only did the people surprise me, but the classes did as well... with most of my classes containing 50 students or less. This made conversing with the professor easier and asking questions less intimidating. This eased me into the 200+ student classroom atmosphere at my current university.

No college, including its faculty and staff, is perfect... but I am more than thankful for my freshman and sophomore years spent at a community college.

My humble beginnings have now led me to my dream school.

I was able to take my core classes at half the cost and now this fall, I will embark on my senior year at Purdue University not having to touch a dime in loans!

Thank you community college!