The scholarships I received helped me in a dramatic way, the only thing that was on my mind was to graduate high school. But, then I started receiving scholarships and was determined that I should take advantage of the opportunity I was receiving, therefore, I decided to go to college. It was a big accomplishment just to be officially enrolled in a college because I was going to be the first male going to college in my family. My first semester was a complete success, I passed all my classes and had a 3.5 GPA. But with my success there was a struggle, I had to be on top of everything. I needed help and a lot of it, I spent over 35 extra hours with tutors in my first fall semester so I can succeed. Failing wasn’t an option, I had to succeed because I wanted to take advantage of the resources I had plus the college itself, I wanted to explore new things. I also met a lot of classmates, I learned that communication is a big part of success. A lot of the requirements to succeed in college were acknowledge in the Information Technology Academy (ITA) when I was a high school student, the program gave me high expectations about myself which indeed motivated me, so I adapted quick to the expectations in Contra Costa College. Taking the college life was one of the best things that has ever happened to me for the fact that I am finding out who I really am and what I want to become.
