First Generation Story

When I decided to begin my higher education journey in 2018, I did so out of anger and frustration. I had been separated from the military for ten years and much of that civilian life consisted of being a full-time parent with a few years of volunteer positions and a limited work background. When I began seeking more substantial employment opportunities, I quickly realized employers viewed my time served and experience gained in the military as worthless. Instead of viewing my mission preparation and leadership positions as organizational, critical thinking, and collaboration skills - or my yearlong deployments as demonstrating adaptability and time management skill - I was instead viewed as a liability. Bitter and determined to be valued, I activated my military education benefits and enrolled full-time at my local community college. Two semesters into earning my degree from Front Range Community College I found myself captivated by the rhetoric involved in how individuals behave and communicate based on their own experiences in life. Knowing that my classes were simply scratching the surface of the complexity of how humans communicate and that I wanted to dive deeper - I applied and was accepted into the College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University in pursuit of a B.A. in Communication Studies. Simultaneously through both my A.A. and B.A., I minored in Geology with the intent of finding a career where I could combine the two disciplines which I later found to be Science Communication. Thrilled to have finally found my passion I again realized although I was knowledgeable in communication techniques I was still eager to learn more. As an individual who never imagined having a higher education of any sort, I now find myself in my second year of pursuing a M.S. in Journalism & Media Communication.