My high school experience has been unorthodox. I am an early college student, and I have been enrolled at Vance-Granville Community College since fall of 2012. My experience has been thrilling; I would never change my decision to attend the early college. My “success story” is one of a lot of struggle, although you would not see it reflected in my grades. I have struggled with on and off bouts of depression and generalized anxiety disorder since age 13, four years ago. I am now a senior, with a college GPA of 3.9. It took me four years, until right now, to finally say I am doing alright. With the help of counseling and advice from VGCC staff and teachers, as well as some tutoring here and there, I was recently accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Looking back, I know my solid foundation at VGCC has set me up for success when I transition into university level classes. I have learned to manage stress, stay organized, communicate with instructors, take notes, and above all, make the most of my college experience.