I have a thirst for knowledge and an innate love of learning. I am a voracious reader and have always dreamed of going to college. Due to family issues, my educational career came to an abrupt halt, and I was forced to stop attending school in the sixth grade.
College is a foundation that many people need to succeed in life, and my foundation started at Tri County Community College. I got my G.E.D eight years ago at Tri-County and now I’m 21 hours away from my two year degree.
When I began at Tri-County in 2010, I had no real direction. I was 61 years old, my job had just ended, and thinking about a career change at this point was not very realistic.
Tri-County Community College has been a positive, life-changing experience, but the journey hasn’t been easy. Being an only child and homeschooled, I had never been in a public classroom until my first day at Tri-County.
Fifteen years ago, I moved to the United States from Russia, and found myself immersed in a culture unfamiliar to me while struggling to learn a new language I could barely speak.
I moved to Cherokee County from Charlotte seven years ago. I was a single mother to three children under the age of ten: two daughters with Down’s Syndrome and a son barely leaving toddlerhood. At the time I had no friends or family to serve as my support system.
As a Cherokee County native, I knew after graduating from high school that I didn’t want to have to travel far from my lifelong home and family to continue my education.
