“Time flies over us but leaves a shadow behind.”
-Nathaniel Hawthorne
Being part of the Bridge program
here at Columbia has literally changed my life. I’ve been given the opportunity
to better myself, my future and accomplish my dreams all at the same time.
Along with my own personal motivation, I find so much drive from my family. I’m
the oldest in my family and my mother’s only daughter. Graduating from college
and making her proud is what makes me keep getting up every morning and writing
my little heart out every day. It’s the notion that I want my brothers to be
able to look up to me and be proud of the life I’m creating for myself.
Coming here for me meant leaving my
mom and my brothers and best friend who everyone in our class has got to meet over
the past two days. It meant no more home cooked meals or movie nights with my
family, no cuddling with my dog or going on field trips with my brothers. It
meant that I decided that for me, I had to take the first step towards the rest
of my life. It’s the most bittersweet experience I’ve ever had in my life. It’s
not a new chapter, but entirely different book I’m starting and there’s no more
time for hesitation or procrastination with assuming complete and total
responsibility with my actions and how they will affect my future.
The quote above is my prompt. It
doesn’t ask a question exactly, but I truly believe it describes these past few
weeks. I’ve never in my life worked so hard for anything. I’ve never
appreciated my family and my friends so much. And I’ve especially never been on
time for anything this consistently in my entire life. We’re all here and it’s
like our own personal version of survivor, except in the Survivor 2012 Columbia
Bridge addition, we all have the chance to win, it just depends who works the
hardest and stays dedicated. Part of the reason I think people have gotten
kicked out isn’t because they’re stupid or unable to write or participate.
Everyone in our class has been extremely intelligent and interesting, but it’s
the people who don’t just want this, but need to succeed at this that have made
it this far. For me, failure is not an option. 
I will pass the bridge program, and
I will be a student here in the fall. The glass is always half full. Success
comes down to how you hold yourself and how you see the world. For me, it’s the
meditation and positive thinking that keeps me going. If I’m tired and don’t
want to go to class, I’ll sleep later when I’m dead. If I have writers block or
can’t focus on my reading, I suck it up and try harder. I’ve never taken my
education seriously but by pushing myself these past two and a half weeks, I’ve
felt proud of myself for the first time ever.
These weeks in bridge will be
something I remember for the rest of my life. It’s been my saving grace and
literally rescued me from my own self destructive ways. As we all move forward
in this, the memories will stay with me. I’ve met incredible people and feel
fortunate that I can be a part of one of the building blocks of their future.
To be honest, I’ll miss this class. I’ll miss writing and conversing with
everyone. I’ll miss my dorm and my roommates. It truly doesn’t feel like we’re
in our third week and next week we’re done. No matter if I see these people in
the future or never talk to them again, I’ll always value what Brad and Caitlin
have done for us. The class room they have given us to grow and learn in has
been the best educational experience I’ve had this far.
As we finish this program, and head
off to Columbia this fall, we’ll all have a bond with each other before anyone
else we meet because we will have all done the one thing everyone has mentioned
in this room; we’ve taken the negative comments and criticism of everyone who
told us no and said we couldn’t accomplish our dreams and pushed ourselves past
our own expectations. I always tell my friends “love yourself first” and it’s
what keeps me level headed and my priorities straight. This time last year I
was supposed to have just gotten married and living with my ex fiancé, going to
community college. But I’m so glad I’m not. Heart break is just a way of
figuring out that the relationship you were in with another person isn’t as
important as the one with yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment