Becoming the Master of My Own Universe
During my first semester at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, I met a woman who was in her 60’s. She was funny, spunky, and just so full of life. I took an immediate liking to her, how could I not. One day she turned to me and said something I will never forget, “I take a class every year! Gotta keep my mind sharp.” Those words were never lost on me, I always felt I was going to take classes until the day I could no longer. Not because I had to but because I would always want to. While my former classmate may have just been trying to ensure that all her neurons were firing correctly, she also informed me that she always took classes that interested her. I saw my future in this woman and knew that as long as I was able to, I would be taking classes the rest of my life. I do not believe I will always be seeking out degrees but I do believe that I will be thoroughly seeking out knowledge. Things will change as the years pass by me, there will be new discoveries, new technologies, and pretty much new everything. I want to be a person that understands these things and does not age without any understanding of them. That being said, this is not entirely what my essay is about, it is about where I see myself after the cap and gown have been put on, taken off, and my Master Degree arrives in the mail, pending I get through this semester. But what’s next? This is the question I ask myself incessantly. I am never sure about my future but I do know what I would like it to look like.
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After the cap and gown have been tucked away for safekeeping and my degree is hanging from my wall, I plan to continue my education and continue to pursue my second Master Degree. This time it will be in Comparative Religions. People may not see a direct correlation between education and comparative religions and maybe there isn’t one but there is always a method to my madness and I feel this essay is the perfect place to present my reasoning behind the type of education I am pursuing. We live in a country that is a melting pot of different cultures, ethnicities, religions, sexual preferences, and backgrounds. I feel it would only make sense to understand the students I am teaching on a deeper level. If they have difficulties completing assignments because they feel they are hindered by the own beliefs or culture, then I would want them to understand they can come to me and I will be open and understanding to their situation. I will always be happy to provide any alternative assignments, if needed, for these students because I want to do all I can to help them succeed. Comparative religion also ties into my concern with mental illnesses. Not that I believe that people with strong religious convictions are mentally ill but because I know that some cultures ostracize their family members because of mental illness. This is something that I need to make sure that I am fully aware of. I never want to see any of my students have issues with mental illnesses or feel as if they are less than the amazing people they are because of them. Comparative religions screams empathy, kindness, and understanding of other people and that is why I have chosen to take the route that included it in my education.
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After I receive my second Master degree, it is my hope to go on and pursue my PhD in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University. While I know this is a very difficult program, it seems as if it would be well suited for the path I would like to take. I would like to teach college students online, so I feel it necessary to be well-versed in technology and its constant evolution. I also want to help students with mental illnesses receive the best education they possibly can and educational psychology seems to be an area in which I would also need to be well-versed to accomplish that. Lastly, I am considering pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at Penn State University. I was accepted into the program and believe it will help me develop a greater understanding of all mental illness and not just my own. I am not a person who needs a million degrees but I am a person that wants to develop a greater understand of the things I want to help change in the world. I am a person that believes everything happens for a reason and I feel that I was given this illness because God believes I have the strength to speak out about it and help those who cannot help themselves. I know little about what my future holds, I just take things one day at a time, that’s all I can really do, but one thing I do know is that I am becoming the master of my own university and when all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, I will know that everything I have done was not in vain.
