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I Was Told That College Wasn’t for Me
“Where’ve you been? Haven’t seen you on the morning shift lately,” I said, excited my work buddy was back.
“College! I’m working on my nursing degree. You should go too. Do you really want to work at McDonald’s forever?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure being a fast food manager was my permanent career choice, but it was an okay job. I had never really considered leaving, and I told my friend as much.
She was shocked, but Nicole wasn’t the pushy type. Instead, she handed me a pamphlet from her school and told me to think about going. “You’ll probably qualify for full financial aid, so it won’t cost you a thing. They have these things called PELL grants for people like us. I can even drive you there if you need a ride,” Nicole promised.
I shoved the brochure in my purse and said I’d check it out after work. This was a lie, of course. I doubted our local college wanted a high school dropout like me. Besides, I was already working 60 hours a week so my daughter could do fun things like ballet and swimming lessons. I didn’t have time for school.
I forgot about my conversation with Nicole until weeks later, when I needed my favorite lip balm. As I tore through my bag, I found the pamplet shoved at the bottom. It was…
