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THREAD: Caught up on @coldweatherbats #CWB Ep. 3 RE: JUCO perceptions and was inspired to share my story. It's not baseball but like @B_Sakowski_PG and @Coach_BJustice, I hope to change how people view JUCO and…
inspire those considering how to get to the next level of any journey by showing how a community college helped me with mine @schoocraft @waynestate
I was a failure. I was one step from dropping out of high school for 4 and a half years. You could find me in summer school every summer, all 4 years, to make up for the classes I failed each fall and winter.
By the time I did graduate high school with barely a 2.0 GPA in December 1996, six months after most of my friends had graduated and moved on, I was feeling embarrassed, uncertain and, frankly, afraid of the future.
Sensing these emotions, on a night I'll remember clearly until my dying day, my Dad grabbed me by the shoulders and presented a message and an opportunity that changed my life.
His words that night were chosen carefully and delivered with the tone and fiery passion of a Marine Corps drill sergeant.
The message, I know applies to many young adults (paraphrased for brevity and to omit obscenities): You are talented and intelligent. You could have a positive impact on so many people...
You are wasting talent and time and will be filled with regret when you realize what could've been had you started working harder, right now!...
The opportunity: using loans and what little savings he had, my Dad would pay for one semester at Schoolcraft Community college. If I passed all classes with a 3.0 GPA or above, he'd scrape together and pay for the next semester...
Something changed inside me that night. I was given a mission, and adopted a mindset that failure is no longer an option. Hard work and laser focus were non-negotiable in my approach to everyday education and self-improvement...
With this approach and support from friends and family, I finished the first semester at Schoolcraft with a GPA over 3.8. Then I did the same the following semester. Then again. And again. And again...
After my 2nd year @schoolcraft, with a GPA over 3.8, I was offered a Presidential Scholarship including full tuition paid @waynestate...
@waynestate, I found my passion for Civil Engineering and met so many influential friends and leaders, including my beautiful wife and mother to our two talented sons...
In 2001, I graduated with honors from Wayne State University and began a career as a Transportation Engineer. I have been blessed to work with great people and for great companies like @hntb ever since...
Now, with the help of those great people and HNTB leadership, I am an Associate Vice President and oversee a team of 32 extremely talented Design Engineers...
It is a rewarding career that allows me the opportunity to make a positive impact on our community and on my teammates' careers...
The opportunity @schoolcraft and @waynestate provided me helps me look back with no regrets. I don't think about what could've been because I'm living a life I couldn't have even dreamed of in high school...
I share this not to brag, but with hope this reaches one person considering a next step with fear or uncertainty they can't get to the next level...
I hope this has even a fraction of the impact my Dad's message had for me. And, if it does, that person considers a community college for their next step. (End thread, hopefully I did it right.)
