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At the moment, I am at peace with myself and how my life is currently going. I have been an SSM for 2 years now, which was a job I really ended up liking, and am moving to work as a Peer Leader for CUNY Career Launch/Spring Forward under the CCPD at LaGuardia. I have been accepted to Baruch College and am going to start my first classes there this Fall, and I am starting off as a lower Junior already!

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I finished my first semester of college and I can say with certainty that I feel accomplished of it. I aim to continue my studies at LaGuardia. Currently finishing my last general education course, Precalculus. I am also in training to become an SSM and waiting on replies to becomes officers in multiple different clubs.

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The start of my second attempt at a college degree.

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I chose LaGuardia as the place I'm going to get my life together at. I chose Programming and Systems as my major. LaGuardia is only 30 minutes from my house and the community there is so welcoming and open to new-comers. It was so different from my experience at BMCC. I was shown workshops and opportunities at my old college twice a month, while at LaGuardia I am bombarded with events and invites. It was a huge change to transfer and go back into education after a year, but I felt better about how I'm doing.

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Stressing every day I had to make a decision soon.

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After deciding I wasn't happy with my major, I took a year to myself. I applied for my first job at a fast food place and spent the year working. At the start I was happy with it, but soon I came to realize without a college degree I'd be stuck working these types of jobs all my life. Since I didn't go to school, I'd spend time on my computer a lot whenever I wasn't working. On the computer, I'd spend my time watching videos on how things were made and how they worked. I've always liked technology, and I've even gone out of my way to learn some programming before. By September of 2022, I knew what I'd like to start learning more of.

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Classrooms with protectors and mandatory mask wearing.

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When I finished high school, my parents pressured me into immediately choosing a major and going straight to getting a college degree. I chose a major in Criminal Justice, where I studied at BMCC in Manhattan. Being the naïve recently turned 18 year old I was, I truly believed traveling over an hour a day was worth it for my education. After 2 semesters at BMCC, I finally decided it was time to change my life direction. I was not enjoying my studies, I was doing poorly in the classes I was registered in, and I dreaded waking up early everyday and traveling for an hour and back.

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Remembering the lockdown that happened in March.

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Starting my junior year of high school during the peak of COVID was not a good experience. On top of having to move over to remote learning and adapting to the change, everyone was fearing for their health. It was an era of paranoia and agoraphobia in which me and my family would never leave our house. I was to sit at my computer multiple times a day, listening to lectures, work on assignments, and sleep. This endless cycle had a toll on my mental health and motivation to do anything. Because I lacked motivation, my grades dropped, making my GPA seem unattractive to the colleges I'd be applying to in the future.