Hello, friends! Happy graduation season! Congratulations to all my fellow grads and much love to anyone feeling a little insecure this graduation season. (I’ve been there!!! When College Doesn’t Fit Right.)
For those that don’t know, I went to CMU for three years, changed my degree three times, and then I dropped out. I took a year or so off of school and then thanks to the Future for Frontliners program, I was able to go back to school with much of the cost covered, and sloooowly worked my way through an associate’s degree. (I like to joke that it’s like in Tommy Boy.) And as of May 4th, I have officially graduated!!! It’s been a long time coming, but I am so happy and proud of myself for sticking to it, even though it would have been much easier to decide not to go back to school. One such moment where I was heavily questioning what I was doing this for was in my first trimester of pregnancy. I was taking a math class and was suffering from such intense morning sickness (all day…) that I would have to mute my Zoom calls so I could go *toss some cookies*. I do not miss that season of life!
It truly is proof that all of us have different timelines in life. Though it’s easy to get embarrassed and insecure about our progress compared to those around us, it’s really not worth our time. I’ve seen a sentiment floating around the internet that says that the time will pass regardless of what you’re doing. Seven years passed for me and instead of being overly hard on myself for feeling aimless and dropping out, I made the conscious choice to take advantage of this opportunity given to me and make the most of it. The Future for Frontliners program is now closed, but if you’re in Michigan without a college degree, there’s a new program called “Michigan Reconnect” that allows for hopeful students over 21 to get their in-district schooling paid for. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, I recommend checking it out! There are so many opportunities available that are just waiting to be taken advantage of.
What are my plans now? I still am figuring it all out! For now, I’m just enjoying having completed this degree, staying home with my daughter, and learning new life skills.
Thank you for checking in,
XOXO,
Mattie Mae
Midwest Mattie 