Carolyn Mangornong
"Life is what we make it," this is a principle I have always tried to live by. I have always believed that more than we realize we are more often than not have opportunities to make good choices, to improve not only ourselves but also the lives of those around us. Although sometimes we all have challenges to face, we have the power to triumph if only we believe that we can overcome and take action.
Life allows us to choose the path that we want to take and gives us the ability and resources to succeed. If we have a choice of how we want to make out of our lives, wouldn't each one of us, would want to succeed and achieve our dreams and goals? And what would be the best way to attain our hopes and aspirations? For me, pursuing a degree, getting an education is the answer.
My family came to this beloved country ten years ago in pursuit if what every person who came to the United States dreamt of achieving "the great American dream." My husband and I have big dreams of providing the best for our children and the hope to be able to provide for our family members back home. For us and like for many others, this is a once in a lifetime chance, a blessing, a gift to be able to seek the greener pasture, a chance for a better life for our family and for the family members we left behind. And we intend to make the most out of it.
This is also a chance to share with our parents and siblings whatever fruits from the little successes we might have in "the land of the plenty." But of course, nobody lives in a fairytale, and life hasn't always been and never will it be a bed of roses. We have faced cultural, emotional, social and personal challenges in our new country. It was starting all over again, in an unfamiliar territory, away from immediate families, away from the life and comforts we used to have, away from the familiar places, things and people and that have been indeed really scary. We have to adapt ourselves in a place that was going to be our home and it has to be done and there was no turning back. It wasn't easy for me, for my husband and for our children. The months and years that followed was a period of adjustment, adaptation, immersion and it was just a ride full of different and mixed emotions, we felt overwhelmed but excited, unsure but hopeful, scared but optimistic that we are going to make it.
True enough, slowly but surely amidst the everyday fun and challenges of life our dreams are becoming realities, my husband has a wonderful job, our children are growing up with good values and discipline and are doing well in school and I have a job in a health care industry. We also met people from work, church, communities who became our friends and who have embraced us and made us feel like family.
We have come to love and appreciate the wonderful people and opportunities that have come our way. For my part, during this entire time my priority has always been my family. I have always made sure that I am always there for them especially during the times that our children were younger and were still adjusting to their new environment. I know in my heart that I have proven myself as a good mother and wife. I have my share of sacrifices together with my husband and I know I have tried to be the best that I could be for my family. But there is always this question in my mind, if there is more to me? Is there more that I can be and that if there's more that I can do to improve myself and help my family at the same time?
I believe that yes, there is more to me and there is more that I can do to improve myself and in turn help my family. These personal aspirations for an improved and enhanced self-worth, self-esteem and the drive that I could help my husband provide for our children the best life and education we could give them and to help our family members are the reasons why I am driven and committed to pursue my education. I have this conviction that education is the only road to take to achieve one's goals, the only way to make one's dreams a reality, the only way for my aspirations to come true not only for myself but for my family as well.
But how could I accomplish this goal, when I know it will not be easy. I have a family to take care of, I have a full-time job to go to, and I am not any younger. I don't want to have to choose between pursuing an education or giving up my job, I don't want to be forced to sacrifice my time and focus for my family to go to school, I fear that it might be even too late already to even think of pursuing a degree...these are my fears behind that hope. Family, career and studies...priorities that are set individually in a specific stage and time supposedly in one's life, but for me, can I hold on to them all at the same time, making them all work out altogether?
I have observed and asked around, and I found out that I don't need to be in a school setting, inside a classroom at a specific time and day to accomplish my goal to get a degree. Thanks to modern technology and the initiatives and innovations of schools which offer online degrees. This is the best solution for me, and for those millions of working mothers who wants to complete a degree but are faced with real fears and problems of how they will be able to balance their time and focus on their families, careers and education all at the same time.
Online degree is the answer to working mothers like me who believe that there lies ahead the chance to conquer the world out there, be competitive, be successful, be empowered, be the best that you could be, be accomplished more than we ever we thought we could be, sans the guilt and stress of having to give up our time, presence and attention to our families and careers. The benefits of getting an education and a degree are countless and immeasurable.
Through education, we will become better persons, better wives, better citizens of our communities and the world. Online degrees provide opportunities to me and to other working mothers to achieve our dreams without asking us to sacrifice or give up our time for our families and careers. Online degrees give us the flexibility to manage our studies at our own time and pace, empower us to make decisions about our priorities and will give us the chance to succeed without demanding and asking for compromises.
Now that I am enrolled in an online degree I am very excited and eager. I can now look beyond the past and present and foresee the future with much optimism and hope. I know I can achieve my dream of earning a degree through online learning, an environment that promotes confidence and certainty. I am ready to take on the high road knowing there's a brighter and bigger world waiting for me and for my family.
I am looking forward to this new adventure in my life with so much anticipation because I know my education will be my beacon as I strive to fulfill my dreams and aspirations. And as I set my sights to what the future holds for me, as I envision the day I will graduate and have completed my online degree, and when that day arrives, when that every special moment comes, I know I can proudly say, that indeed I have made the most out of my life.