Attending CLC and becoming a successful college student truly has been life-changing for me.在高中，我的学习成绩很好，但我的个人生活很困难，因为我缺乏自信，没有参加学校的俱乐部。我也不确定我的职业规划，但在我大四的时候，一位顾问告诉我关于CLC的事情。Specifically, she mentioned two programs:HonorsandCLC Scholars. Both offer academically rigorous courses. The Scholars program is for students interested in graduate school, and its policy of free tuition, fees and textbooks is great for families of limited income. In addition to specialized counseling and advising, the CLC Scholars program offers intensive academic experiences, an on-campus job and more.
I’m a first-generation college student, and when I found out I had been accepted into both the Honors and Scholars programs, I was overjoyed. The Scholars program is set up into modules, with a different professor covering each module. In a series on American history, we covered frontiers of exploration, examined the media’s influence on our American ideals and explored western U.S. settlement and the American dream. All of the professors were excellent, and I had several eye-opening revelations. One concept that has stuck with me is that though getting good grades in college is important, there is so much more to it. The ability to be intellectually stimulated, partake in a range of opportunities and interact with diverse individuals are just a few of the benefits of college.
All of my Honors classes were discussion-based我从同学身上学到的和从教授身上学到的一样多。小班制(不超过16名学生)帮助创造了一个友好的，支持性的环境。我的一些朋友在四年制的大型大学开始上课，他们经常和200名学生一起在大讲堂上课。CLC较小的课程规模让我获得了所需的个人关注。
在课堂之外，我通过加入社团结交朋友，比如基督教领袖协会(CLC)的Phi Theta Kappa分会(Phi Theta Kappa是一个两年制的国际大学荣誉社团)。2017年，我很荣幸与同学Pia Pauline一起被授予PTK全伊利诺伊学术团队的称号。为了获得这个奖项，我们都取得了至少3.5的GPA，注册了至少12个学分，参加了学校和社区组织，并获得了几位教师的推荐。除了担任写作导师，皮娅和我还是分会公共关系的联合副主席。
作为CLC取证小组的一员也帮助我成长。I joined after completing an introductory speech course, which helped me gain more self-confidence. I now enjoy giving speeches, whether in a forensics competition or in a formal event such as the CLC Foundation’s Scholarship Gala. To have overcome my fear of public speaking is so incredible.
In fall 2017, I’ll be attending Elmhurst College as part of CLC’sGuaranteed Transfer Admissionprogram, which offers a seamless transfer of CLC credit to partner institutions. I’m not sure how many other community colleges, if any, offer this program, and it’s great to have advisors at both institutions help you plan courses for your major. Through copious amounts of effort, I was awarded the full-ride transfer scholarship to Elmhurst College from the heads of the Honors Program at CLC.
I want to be a tri-lingual speech pathologist working in elementary schools, helping students develop language and cognitive skills. I already know English and Spanish, and will be beginning to learn American Sign Language next fall at Elmhurst College. It’s my way of giving back to all types of individuals. At a younger age, I struggled with my own speech and had completed intense therapy. Now that I have overcome these speech limitations, I have been able to use my voice to make great change.