November Thanks Day 3

When I was growing up, education was strongly emphasized. I was home schooled, took part in many additional classes, completed grades years early, and took part in Running Start. When I was 18 I was short one course to complete My Associates in Arts, and had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I figured as long as the job sounded smart, I'd give it a try. Years later, I had run the gamut in possible majors, had exhausted my husband, and frustrated myself in ever thinking I would be able to complete a degree while working and being a wife/mom.

Then, one day, I received a phone call from a good friend. She had run into the chancellor of a school called WGU (one I had heard a little bit about from a co-worker a year earlier), and said she was going to enroll and I needed to go along for the ride with her.  She and I had both been laid off, and had looked at a few other local colleges near us for answers in how to get further in life, and had come up with minimal, realistic answers. Because of that frustration, I felt that WGU would probably end up in the long pile of "been there, tried that, came of nothing" that was growing larger by the year. I halfheartedly called and spoke with a wonderful woman who gave me a list of things I needed to do to become enrolled, and slowly went through the process to become an accounting major (it sounded smart, was in the line of what I'd done for my career, and made a nice sum of money). Fast forward six months, and I had been enrolled, and absolutely miserable. My mentor was wonderful, I just had to accept that the major I had chosen was not for me.

The wonderful thing about WGU is the flexibility and the want to keep students doing what they need to do. My mentor immediately set up and interview for me to speak with the head of the teacher's college. Within days, we all decided that was where I needed to be, and I was seamlessly switched over to a new degree with a new mentor. Two years later, I have nearly graduated, am setting up everything for student teaching, and have a light at the end of my tunnel for a set career. Not only that, but because of its low tuition, I will be graduating with a tiny amount of loans to pay off - not quite the mountains of debt the majority of students face when entering the real world!

I am oh so very grateful to that friend for forcing me along this adventure with her, and for this school in opening up so many opportunities for myself and my family. It has been an absolute God send, and (despite all of my migraines from hard work, and procrastination) blessing!

Reyna's Thanks:

 

I thank for the food and grate blessings at home. And I love gumbo that is my favorite food and I want to be vary good at cooking jest like my mom and I love broccoli.

Gumbo!

 

   Bubba's Thanks:

your friends

and you.

Our squirrel friend, Biscuit