In case you forgot about my last post, I shared how I stay on track by using my SSC Portal, but there are also a lot of people in my life that help me stay focused.
For starters, I have to acknowledge my amazing family. We are always there for each other, and that is why a lot of decisions I make are always made with my family in mind. I may seem old fashioned, but I never want a wrong mistake to define my family. Like any family, we fight, bicker, laugh, cry, and sometimes push away from each other. In the end, we know that no matter what happens, we will always be there for one another. The one point I always keep in my mind are the words my mother tells me daily, “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” and “It will happen when the time is right.” I can honestly say that there is no place like home.
The next group is tricky to pin-point since I have had my share of excellent professors over the years. But as I returned to South Suburban College, I admired the dedication of two women and a gentleman who went above and beyond their calling as teachers.
Dr. Nancy Mulvihill – I still remember the very first day of Abnormal Psychology and how I didn’t want to speak. There was no reason behind this. I just don’t warm up to people that quickly. I began to pick up on her love of movies with each quote she used while teaching, and I knew, from that moment, I was going to enjoy being her student. As the weeks progressed, I began to confide in her, and once she found out about my hardships that year in school, she made them her own.
Another professor that I would like to thank is Bobbie Saltzman – the best drama teacher that I know. Within a year, I broke out of my shell and found the stage to be a new home. My voice became louder, and I was no longer afraid of speaking my mind. Tasks that I found impossible were no longer scary. Since then, I have found it easier to socialize in school. Bobbie already knows how much she means to me, but how she changed my life is far more than words can say.
I have had my share of wonderful encounters while I’ve been a student at SSC, but one area of the college has helped expand my knowledge a great deal. I would like to thank everyone in Communications Services. I started off wanting to be a Bulldog Bites host and became a student worker for them. It has been a whirlwind of excitement. Just from the interview, I knew this place was going to be a turning point for myself. From taking photos, attending events, and even writing this blog, I feel like I found a place where I belong, and the support everyone has shown pushes me to strive harder every day.
For me, I have changed a lot of the ways I handle situations in life, and I have this long-lasting advice from John Geraci, a communications professor, whose classes I have had the pleasure of taking. We recently spoke, and I shared how I failed a class of his in the past. He was taken back, but told me that if I were to take it again, there was not a doubt that I would pass. Just to have him tell me that we all make mistakes in life and to reassure me that I was a smart woman was comforting. I hadn’t seen him since 2008, and to somehow make an impression on him means that it had to have been positive (I hope!).
The main idea is to surround yourself with positivity and never tell yourself that you can’t. Everyone is capable of extraordinary things, and it takes time to conquer all the obstacles. I guess my mom was right. It does happen when the time is right.
