My aunt asked: “When are you going to a real college?”
I said: “This is a real college.”
She didn't say anything. She didn't understand.
I'm not staying because I'm scared. I'm not scared of big schools. I'm not scared of leaving. I'm staying because I'm not done.
I'm staying for the research project. I'm helping my professor study water quality in the Bay. It's not glamorous. I spend hours in a lab with machines I'm still learning to use. But I'm learning. I'm doing real science. I'm not ready to leave that.
I'm staying for the professor who knows my name. She knows my name. She knows I'm slow but careful. She knows I'm scared of the spectrophotometer. She teaches me anyway. I won't have that at a big school. Not yet.
I'm staying for the money. I'm saving thousands of dollars. My friends at four-year schools are taking out loans. I'm paying as I go. I'm not taking on debt to leave early.
I'm staying because I'm not running. I used to think community college was a placeholder. Something you do before real life. Now I think it's something else. It's a place where I can learn at my own pace. Where I can make mistakes without ruining my GPA. Where I can figure out what I want.
I don't know what I want. I know I want to study water. I know I want to work in a lab. I know I want to keep learning. I'm doing that here. Why would I leave?
My aunt thinks I'm wasting time. I think I'm using it wisely.
I said: “This is a real college.”
She didn't say anything. She didn't understand.
I'm not staying because I'm scared. I'm not scared of big schools. I'm not scared of leaving. I'm staying because I'm not done.
I'm staying for the research project. I'm helping my professor study water quality in the Bay. It's not glamorous. I spend hours in a lab with machines I'm still learning to use. But I'm learning. I'm doing real science. I'm not ready to leave that.
I'm staying for the professor who knows my name. She knows my name. She knows I'm slow but careful. She knows I'm scared of the spectrophotometer. She teaches me anyway. I won't have that at a big school. Not yet.
I'm staying for the money. I'm saving thousands of dollars. My friends at four-year schools are taking out loans. I'm paying as I go. I'm not taking on debt to leave early.
I'm staying because I'm not running. I used to think community college was a placeholder. Something you do before real life. Now I think it's something else. It's a place where I can learn at my own pace. Where I can make mistakes without ruining my GPA. Where I can figure out what I want.
I don't know what I want. I know I want to study water. I know I want to work in a lab. I know I want to keep learning. I'm doing that here. Why would I leave?
My aunt thinks I'm wasting time. I think I'm using it wisely.