Skip to main content

the story of college

I graduated with with honors from community college Kingsborough Community College. it was a success of course but a road mix with lot. ASK ME How?

But I have a story to tell..
This all started in 2013
This was a true journey but I made it

I made it!

During this college journey from the beginning it was draining.Many times I wanted to give up!!
dealing with unreliable transportation such as Access A Ride and needing to set my schedule around my home attendant.
They were days I got to school 10 minutes before my class ends.. some days I only had one class so it was just enough time for me to wait for my Access A Ride to return home
I spend most of my day traveling from time to time it was 2 hours to go to college and 2 hours to come home so most of my time in class was 4 hours for 2 classes
My home attendants went to school with me to support me with my personal needs so I have them for 8 hours a day and needed to make sure I am home in time for the end of their work shift..
In 2018 I transferred to a 4 year college thinking that my scholarship with Access VR will continue if I transferred to a 4 year college and work towards my bachelors degree as they said! But as I completed my 1st semester towards my bachelors degree but also one of the courses i was taking was also one i needed to get my associates degree. The class I needed to take was Biology
 and each semester it was offered at kingsborough community college was the same time in the evening 5pm way after my home attend schedule.
the only way it was possible was online to when i was given opportunity so   I focused so hard on it that I really didn't pay attention to my second course I ended up getting a failing grade and my GPA fall to a complete drop of 1.O this was never   me. this broke me I started to think about everything.
Wondering will i be able to continue college because of my GPA

The fact that  I need assistance getting in and out of bed on my own and need assistance with daily living 

The reality is I needed to do anything within a day study, do homework, write papers  all before 10 pm or 11pm. I never had those normal late night type of college experience  because my parents are my caregivers at night and my dad has to go to work. When the lights go on and off that means I know what time it is?

I  even took a break from  my physical therapy to focus on school 

After all of this I was completely  overwhelmed.

 I cashed thinking about all of this
I took a year off.


In the Fall of 2019 I transferred to Touro College close to home to get caught up on my credits needed to at least earn my associates degree. When they told me I could take non degree courses and still earn credits towards credits I needed. I got A's in 3 out 4 of my classes. It was amazing I enrolled to Suny Empire State College in January 2020 online an enrolled in a general education math course the 1st few weeks of class I remember looking at the textbook saying I don't understand this math.never missed remedial math but I TRY COLLEGE MATH yes  I REMEMBER   falling into tears and my professor encouraging me to keep on going and got me connected to a tutor that we did zoom sessions for at least 1 to 2 hours per day to keep me on track and guide me step by step.. by mid April my math course ended and I passed college math with A...still speechless about the grade but it just proven I am capable and has my niece 7 years old  I just have to be confident your so right by my baby

Being in special education and mix general education for some classes in high school after getting to college I realize I was taught less then those in general education especially in math. I struggled but after having all my credits transferred back to Kingsborough Community College I earned over 60 gets and was able to graduated an have my associates degree conferred in June 2020


I am possible and college is possible for students with disabilities 
Cuny Grad!! Class of 2020

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quarantine is a new normal for many but is not strange to those with disabilities

Life in quarantine as person with a disability is nothing new it's often our reality in some cases. Before this current situation I feel like I once lived in aspect of quarantine in high school for 4 years. It never really hit me to make such connection to the new reality until today.  In 2009 the beginning of my high school journey On the first day of school when the school bus came to pick me up the diver inform my mom  that the school i was in route to go to was not wheelchair accessible.. I never really talk out this experiences in my speeches but a few weeks ago I was ask to share my journey with college students majoring in education ask me if I had the opportunity of going to same schools as  my peers and neighbors if wanted too and that was when the light went of in my head to share this experience. very few of my neighborhood schools are wheelchair accessible so again my parents and I didn't have many choices on placement of school. Once I got the okay to atten
Post a Comment
Read more

I Graduated College. What's the journey was like?

On June 16. 2020 I officially graduated from Kingsborough Community College with my associates degree in liberal arts degree. This June 2020 This day turned less expected then I imagine due to situations happening in the world but it didn't change anything about me getting my degree on that day my degree was conferred. I knew I was free and empowered to tell my  college journey story! Now it's my time to shine! Many may have viewed my time in college as totally a success story but trust me I faced lots of struggles that I truly never shared in my college struggles because it felt odd for many reasons "What IF I fail??? but what if I fly???  Growing up for the past 18 years and have been apart of the special education system. I remember my mom sharing with me in the beginning of me going into the public school system a school physiologist came to evaluate me and because I didn't respond to her she assumed I didn't know my colors and made a decision th
Post a Comment
Read more

rolling to life with an open book

April 20.2020  I went into this journey of life with an open book and many unexpected blessings and miracles. When my parents received my diagnoses  they had no idea what a disability was let alone "Cerebral Palsy" . My parents were born and raised in the Caribbean where disability is invisible  and a scene of shame so of course they went in to not only adapting to a whole new world better yet raising me with an open book. Their is no instruction to taking care of a child with a disability. So an open book is needed.  To be honest growing up I always talked about how I wanted to become a lawyer and write my own book. Most of my life I heard about the things I can't do instead of sharing bright possibilities with me. I heard as a kid doctors said you will never be able to talk,walk, see, hear and play like other children. My favorite thought after these statements is what is normal anyway. Despite feeling invisible during my time in public school.  In my senior year rea
Post a Comment
Read more