'ECC changed my life and my future'

My motivation to get started at Elgin Community College in fall 2016 was the fact that I wanted to start my path to a career. I didn't want to work just any job for the rest of my life, so I did some research online and saw that ECC offered free classes.

I was really nervous at first because it had been a few years since I had attended any form of schooling. I told myself that I was just going to go and try my best to get my high school equivalency done and move on with my life. This was the one obstacle that was stopping me from doing bigger things that I knew in my heart I could accomplish. So I went to my first class determined and full of motivation.

Writing and reading have never been hard for me, and I always had good grades in those subjects. Math, on the other hand, had always been something I feared and really disliked having anything to do with.

When I was younger I felt that no matter how much I tried I just couldn't understand the more difficult math. Why were there even letters in the math? I used to think to myself, "How am I ever gonna pass that math test? Can I even do it?"

Coming to ECC changed my life and views about math. I really have to thank my math teacher, Mrs. Forkner, who was a blessing in disguise. In her class, I learned everything I had not learned in high school, and math didn't seem bad anymore. Her teaching was amazing and she was really helpful with any questions I had. I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I love ECC's high school equivalency program because not only do they prepare you for the tests, but they also let you take a practice high school equivalency test. Knowing how well I did on those gave me the confidence to go on to take my official tests, which I passed on the first try. That was something that I didn't think I could ever do, let alone on my first try.

I feel like the high school equivalency program and the wonderful teachers I got those two semesters really gave me the tools and confidence to succeed. Before coming to ECC I didn't really know where my life was headed. I didn't really know what I wanted to do as a career, I just knew that I didn't want a minimum wage job for the rest of my life.

Now that I'm done, I am hoping to go into nursing. I will continue to attend ECC and would definitely recommend it to anyone trying to get their high school equivalency, or even just go to continue their schooling. ECC is a wonderful campus full of great teachers.

My advice to future students is to never give up and try your best. You can really achieve anything you set your mind to. You just have to have the will to work for it.