My first college experience was at the age of eighteen, I was a fresh naïve

kid from New Iberia, La going to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, I

hated that school. I attended three other colleges before deciding to take

school seriously, and chose McNeese state University. This will probably

hopefully be the last essay I’ll write as and undergrad student. McNeese has

by far been the best university experience I’ve ever had and I’ve learned and

grown so much.

While attending McNeese I’ve learned how to listen to comprehend and

understand and value opinions that differ from mine. It is not easy trying to

debate a point that you are adamant about. All of the courses that I’ve taken

have been online and filled with discussion boards about many topics. In one

class that I took there were many different voices and opinions on a subject of

women’s’ rights and I applied the patience that I learned in a different class to

argue and discuss my point backing it up with facts instead of opinion but also

respecting the person that I was having the discussion with. I wish that I

would have been a better math student, math has been my worst subject since

I was easily in the third grade, I made the decision to switch my major from

management to general studies because of my issues passing a math class.

 I am an online major and had I initially enrolled at McNeese instead of UL

Lafayette as a freshman, I believe I would have played softball, pledged Delta

Sigma Theta Sorority and been an active student in many other clubs and

organizations. I’d tell my younger self that there’s a way to balance the

curveballs life throws at you, and also that there’s going to be some parties,

some events that you’ll have to miss. I’d also advise to follow my first mind

and instinct and never let anyone bring you down. Life has a way of blocking

the things that you initially plan and I had to take a different path to get my

Bachelor’s degree.

If you asked my five years ago what was my plan, I’d tell you that I would

be graduating from McNeese State University with a Bachelor’s degree in

Management and then working on opening a business. I’ve always been

invested in business, consulting, management, public relations. My mentor

who I’d been learning from died a year ago and I made a promise then that I

would definitely graduate. I see myself fulfilling the promises that I made to

myself the goals that I have written in this notebook. I’ve already applied for

an LLC for my business. I’ve been curating events with a close friend of mine,

I’ve helped multiple people start up their business just off my guidance.

In five years I’ll have a Master’s degree in entrepreneurship and family

enterprise from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. Professionally I

want to help other people of color open small businesses and consult with
them to ensure that the businesses are maintained and ran properly. I haven’t

fully set a five year goal for my personal life yet, but I do hope to prove my

girlfriend with the home that she’s dreamed of, and that we will get married

within the next two years.

The decision to finish my undergrad chapter at McNeese has been the

best choice that I’ve made so fare in my quest to be the first of my mother’s

kids to have a college degree. I am a walking testimony, this has been the

most challenging semester for me from losing close friends and family

members to having to cope with their untimely passing, but I never gave up. It

has been a long ride and the experiences that I’ve had at McNeese have

molded me into the person that I am today. I am grateful and honored to soon

be an alumni of this great university.