A Story Only I Can Tell

Heather CarterOver the years, I've told my story to many who've crossed my path -- family members, friends, co-workers, strangers in the grocery store. And every time I tell it, I become re-inspired.

My journey started when I was 24 years old as an independent young woman with a full-time job, limited income, limited time, few resources, little college experience, scarce opportunities, and a drive to be a college graduate -- the first in my immediate family. How was I going to achieve my goals to attain affordable continuing education as an adult surviving and scraping by out in the real world, barely keeping my head above water? My circumstances became even more challenging three years later when I found myself to be a divorced single parent.

Today, 14 years later, my journey continues as, not only a lifelong learner, but a recipient of an Associates and Bachelors degrees and a full-time employee of Granite State College, one of the NH colleges of the University System of New Hampshire. On top of that, I'm planning on getting my Masters degree in the near future!

Want to learn more about my journey? Want to see how I achieved my dreams of higher education? Stay tuned as I tell my story -- a story only I can tell.
 


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There's No Way I Can Go to College

Thursday, August 19, 2010 by Heather Carter
There are too many reasons it won't work in my life.  There too many obstacles preventing me from going to college.  It's impossible.
 
-It's embarrassing to be an adult on a college campus.  It's embarrassing to sit in a classroom surrounded by "college-aged" kids.  I'll feel like a freak.
 
-I don't know how to relate to fresh-out-of-high-school students now that I've been out in the world and on my own for several years.
 
-I have a full-time job.  I have a child.  I don't have time to take classes.

-I can't take days off from work to spend my days in school.

-College is expensive.  How will I possibly be able to afford it?

-Even if I apply for financial aid, I won't qualify unless I'm a full-time student taking multiple courses a semester, and I know I can't fit that workload into my already full life.

-Being a divorced, single parent of a small child, I don't want to spend more time away from my daughter than I already have to.

These were the messages running through my head as a random stranger was telling me about Granite State College, actually suggesting that it was possible for me after all.

"No, no, no," I said, shaking my head. I was convinced that this woman had no idea what I was really up against.

Then she explained that Granite State College is a non-traditional school that specializes in education for adults. "You'll be with many other adults in similar situations to your own. There are a lot of people now who don't go to college directly out of high school, people who take time off and then decide to return to school years later. People like you go to Granite State College. Not only will you be able to relate to your fellow students, the experience of learning with people of all ages is incredible. You get to learn about so many other perspectives. It's great."

I said, "I don't know how I could possibly fit it into my life. I don't have enough time to go to college."

So she started telling me about all of the course options that Granite State College offers. "They have a lot of evening college classes that only meet once a week." I thought about it. I could afford to spend one night a week away from home. And it wouldn't interfere with my job.

She told me that they offer a ton of online classes for adults. I realized that if I could take college classes online, I'd be able to work on the courses after my daughter went to bed for the night-- no childcare necessary, I'd have the flexibility to fit it into my hectic schedule, and I could even "go to school" in my pajamas!

She explained that Granite State College even offers weekend college classes and concentrated courses called "weekend intensives." I could earn credits toward a degree over the course of one weekend!

"Still," I persisted. "I'd need financial aid and I just can't handle a full-time college work load."

Then she told me a key piece of information that dramatically shifted my doubts about my college possibilities. At Granite State College, one 4-credit course a semester is all I'd need to take in order to qualify for financial aid.

After that conversation, there was a new statement that ran through my head:

Maybe, just maybe, there is a way that I can actually go to college.


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Life Happens

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 by Heather Carter
Life happens. And as a young adult recently out of high school, life happened to me fast-- way faster than I expected.

I was an idealistic 18-year-old with grand schemes of living the traditional 4-year college experience, relishing the excitement of living in a dorm with my peers, inspired by the prospect of exploring fascinating subjects accessible only through higher education, and looking forward to a shiny new degree with a shiny new career that was sure to follow.

Well, "best laid plans," right? Life happened. I found myself thrown into the nose-to-the-grindstone working world, taking whatever job or two that I could get so that I could pay the rent on my tiny apartment and keep the electricity on. But I didn't completely tuck away those college schemes. The idea was to keep on keeping on, and "someday" I'd be able to bring the schemes out into the light, unroll them and lovingly lay them back across the drawing board, dust them off, and build the life I had envisioned. Someday.

Out of necessity, "someday" kept being put off. That plateau that would serve as a resting place in life where I could stop, breathe, think for a while, gather my resources, and put my schemes into action just never seemed to come. Months whirled by, then they blurred together and spun into years. Suddenly, I was 24 years old. No degree, no prospects, no direction, no ideas how to get unstuck. I was surviving, not living--and certainly not anywhere close to the life that I'd seen for myself years before.

I was working in retail at the time. One day, a woman who was temporarily working in the store for a few days, idly initiated a conversation with me. For some reason, the topic of college came up and I only happened to mention how much I wished I could go. This woman-- a random, complete stranger to me-- said I should consider the College for Lifelong Learning (the former name of Granite State College), and explained how it's a school that offers affordable college study and continuing education degree programs. My life has never been the same.

Read my new blog post to find out what happened next!


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