Toni Gorzkowski

In August of 1998, I enrolled into my first year of college. This was exciting to me because I became the first of my mother’s children to enroll into college. Unfortunately, I decided to discontinue my pursuit of a degree when I became pregnant. Since that time, I married my husband and now have two children and three step-children. I have been a stay-at-home mother for the past five years.

About two years ago, my step-daughter decided she wanted to start college and asked me to go with her to Fayetteville Technical Community College so I could help her to enroll. While I was helping her, I made the instantaneous decision to enroll myself. I was accepted and began coursework in August, 2015.

I worried that I might not be able to complete academic work since it had been so long since I had been in class and I was also concerned that I might feel out of place in the classroom given my age. I also have had a reading comprehension disability since I was young.
I have had some challenges, but with the help of my instructors and my family, I have managed to overcome them. I have come to find out that if I have problems understanding reading assignments, I am able to gain a better understanding of the material in class, especially when the classroom work is hand-on.

I am proud to say that my grades are reflective of my efforts. I put a lot of time and effort into my studies and have been rewarded with a 3.9 GPA. The decision to return to college has proven to be one of the primary accomplishments in my life. I will graduate this spring with two Associate’s Degrees: one in Criminal Justice: Latent Evidence and the other in Medical Office Administration.