Making It Through The First Semester

Today’s post is provided by student blogger Eunice! She just finished her first semester and has some tips to share with fellow and future online students. Have any tips? Share in the comments!

The thought of furthering my education had been hanging on for a long time due to some personal constraints. It appeared there was no end in sight to those challenges, but I knew that in the long term, further education was the solution to those challenges. For that reason, I went ahead to register for my first semester of classes.

My goal to return to school has finally materialized, but I’m aware of the challenges so I’m not going to be complacent. As a single mother, I still have to work to provide for my family’s livelihood. I still have to find time to do things with my teenage daughter. But I have to persevere with my studies because I know it is a pathway to a career I have long hoped to pursue and which will provide me with better financial security in the long run.

Most of my relatives are highly educated and have good jobs. I have always felt the odd one out. While the decision to go back to school is mine and is about my own future well-being, I’m grateful to them for their encouragement. They have been very supportive in that decision and throughout the first semester.

Although it is still early days, I feel I can see light at the end of the tunnel, because I have enjoyed my studies in the first semester and I have come to realize I can still get on with my studies despite the challenges. Besides, after so many years of staying away from formal education, I believe I’m still capable of applying myself to my studies. I feel a sense of pride in what I have been able to achieve so far in the midst of all the challenges and now there is no turning back. I certainly look forward to the study period ahead.

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it, and if you can dream it, you can become it” – William Arthur Ward

If you are interested in sharing your story on the NOVA Online blog, contact elistulife@nvcc.edu!