Academic Excellence Awards Luncheon
North Carolina Community College System
April 24, 2007
Hello. My name is Angela Robinson and I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself. I can hardly believe that I agreed to speak to you today since I have always been extremely shy. This shyness has often kept me from participating in many different events such as sports and clubs in high school and other activities that were of interest to me in my community. Yet, here I am.
So, how did I end up here? My parents are from Montgomery County, North Carolina; however, I grew up in Newark, New Jersey. My grandmother, who still lived in Montgomery County, continuously begged for my family to return “home” and eventually we did in the 1980’s.
I have always loved school and loved to learn new things. This love for learning allowed me to do quite well in school. But it was during my years in high school that I was introduced to technology and I believe my fascination with our ever-changing technology further ignited my love for learning. I was successful in graduating high school and often dreamed of going on to college.
As is the case of many high school graduates, because of my financial situation, I was unable to enroll as I had always hoped and dreamed. Therefore, I graduated from West Montgomery High School and immediately went to work.
I began working at various companies around my area and I moved around from job to job mostly in the hosiery industry, never fully happy or satisfied with any of them. I finally realized that the only way to obtain a job I would be happy doing was to return to school and get a degree. I did not know how or when. I just knew that it had to happen.
The first window of opportunity opened while working at my last place of employment. The company I had worked at for seven years began to lay off workers, and I was one of them. As part of that layoff, a “Rapid Response Team” from Montgomery Community College and the JobLink Career Center came to visit and tell us about educational and retraining opportunities available to us and I thought “this is finally my chance!”
Excited and nervous, I looked a several colleges in my area. I was looking for a school where education was important and where I would be successful in learning. As you are all aware, we students are all very different and we all learn in different ways. There are those who are very comfortable in any classroom setting and there are others who quickly become lost in certain classroom settings.
Being a very shy person, I realized that I needed to be in an atmosphere where I would not be overlooked or seen as “just a number.” I also did not want to get so lost in the crowd that it would be hard for me to focus on why I was there. I began to think that starting at a community college would be better for me and I decided to attend Montgomery Community College.
From the first day I stepped onto the campus of Montgomery Community College, I was greeted with kindness and patience. Everyone I spoke to was extremely nice to me and very helpful as I quickly registered for my classes. I was so surprised and impressed by the attitude and the support of the college staff that I became more at ease during registration that I could imagine. The relaxed atmosphere at Montgomery put me at ease and finalized my decision to attend.
I enrolled in the office systems technology program and yes, after being out of school for several years, I had feelings of “will I be able to succeed? Will I be able to comprehend and learn the materials necessary to graduate?”
Looking back on my experience, I know I could not have finished my two years at Montgomery without the exceptional skills of my instructors. Each instructor exhibited far more compassion and concern for me as an individual than I expected. It has been quite refreshing and rewarding to reap the benefits from the time my instructors gave to help me succeed. They have not only expanded my education, but they instilled in me the ability to believe in myself and to be proud of what I have accomplished.
Although my time at Montgomery Community College is almost over, I will never forget the way I was embraced by the staff and my fellow students. Through all the “pats on the back” and “congratulations” I have received, I know it was my time spent on campus and with my instructors that has enriched my life. My time at Montgomery has given me confidence and hope. I know that after I graduate, I will have the courage and the ability to go after the job I know will propel me to a place in my life that will give me joy.
And that is my plan – to obtain a full-time position where I can utilize the knowledge that I have gained at Montgomery. With my new-found confidence, I have also not ruled out the possibility of pursuing a four-year degree in the future.
Although I will never be able to show all of my gratitude for the invaluable education I have received, I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to the North Carolina Community College System for providing this huge stepping stone and to Montgomery Community College for employing such beautiful people to aid students in the learning process.
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