Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Crossing the College Threshold
 |
| Steven and Robert at Horizon HS Graduation May 24, 2012 |
My
son Robert crossed the threshold today attending college orientation with his
mom. I could hardly believe I was
there because he had said earlier “mom college students don’t
bring parents to orientation.” Then by some
miraculous change of heart, he came to me and said “I guess I can bring you
with me to my orientation, if you want to go?”
Hate to say it but I jumped for joy
much to his chagrin.
As we set foot on the amazing campus
of Paradise Valley Community College,
it brought back memories. I know they’re
different than what Robert’s going to see and for that I’m thankful.
For me, college wasn't a given. My parents’ house burnt to the ground when I
was a junior going into my senior year.
We lost so many items (my favorites were my letter sweater from
Volleyball and a desk my dad had made for each of us kids) but the lesson I
learned was the items were just things.
Fortunately, my family was safe, and with the phenomenal support of the Prescott community we regained our
lives. For me that life event meant taking a different
path to get to college. I turned to the US Navy, signed on the dotted line, endured
the entrance physical, and raised my hand to
take the oath of enlistment to defend my country and in so doing earn the college benefits afforded to me.
My first day at college was at a conference room
at the Naval
Facility in Bermuda. Here about 12
people gathered with books in hand, to study for the 8-week condensed course through
the Department of Defense partnership with the Los Angeles Metropolitan
College. I had passed several CLEP exams
and was on my way to living the dream by earning my college degree.
At each duty station, in-between a
full-time job, I took my classes. I went to work, went to school, studied and tried to sneak in some free
time with friends for movies, the club, and the ever proverbial gym to stay
Navy fit. Our conflicts of that day were quite different than what we have
today. We had a war in the Falklands,
the incident in Grenada, the bombing of the Embassy in Beirut and other
operations monitoring subs, people, dealing with spies, and the list goes
on.
When I transferred to Washington DC, to anchor the Navy’s
first TV show called Navy News This Week, the proximity of DC to the University of Maryland meant I could set foot on a REAL college
campus. I have
to tell you, I still remember that day.
I walked around the campus full of lush green landscape. I couldn't believe the massive size of the University of Maryland, the number of students,
and the awe I felt. My efforts were rewarded in 1986 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
So when I crossed that
threshold of a new college campus with my son, it brought back a flood of memories and a bunch
of gratitude.I’m thankful I had the chance to take advantage of the college benefits the Navy offered. I’m thankful I had the chance to travel and to meet some truly amazing and inspirational people along the way. I’m thankful I had the chance to learn and to continue learning to this day. I’m thankful for the people God placed along my path. And perhaps most importantly I’m thankful we have such a wonderful country where these freedoms are available to us each day. I can tell you from my Navy service, we, the USA, don’t often realize how wonderful our life is.
So, to all the college entrants who
are crossing their thresholds, know that there will be unexpected help along the way, that
you will learn if you apply yourself, that you have an opportunity to impact
others, and if you persevere you’ll earn
a distinction that will remain with you forever, as “college graduate”. Robert we’re wishing you all the best! Love, Mom
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Two Lists You Should Look at Every Morning - Peter Bregman - Harvard Business Review http://ping.fm/TBGJx
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
The Federal Government needs PR assistance in creating good relationships. This can be done by contracts. Great PRSA op-ed relates. http://ping.fm/nTBE7
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
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