As another semester comes to a close, my time left as a student at UNCW is ever so short. This being my last blog post for the IMC Hawks, I feel compelled to share my college journey in hopes to bring knowledge and faith that it is possible to obtain a college degree despite age, hardships or any obstacles that many people are facing this day and age.

As an 18-year-old college freshman, I was fortunate to land a job at a local film company where I began my career in film post-production. After obtaining my associates degree from Cape Fear Community College, I was accepted to UNCW soon after graduating. The schoolwork however was hindering my film career and I was forced to make the big decision to drop out of college. Fast forward years later and I am raising two children on my own and the film company I have been working so hard for my entire career is moving their operation to Atlanta, GA. This could be a whole other blog post about the film industry being swept away from our port city but I won’t get on that soapbox. Once again I am forced to make a big life decision. Do I stay in my hometown where I have a family to help, or pack up and try to navigate a big city alone with two kids? I decided to stay home. I felt lost with no direction again and now I have two other mouths to feed. I had to figure out a plan fast before I ended up in a homeless shelter with two small children.

I spent my days searching the Internet for full time jobs requiring my skills. I felt hopeless. Then all of a sudden there it was, the perfect fit, a job with all of my skill sets. I just knew this was it. I was excited about applying for the job and as I began reading the requirements, it says must have a bachelor’s degree. I was so angry but this was my turning point. I decided right then I was going back to college to finish and provide a better future for my children. I knew there was no one to pay for it and I knew it was going to be difficult, but I was determined to find a way.

At this point in my life, I was on government assistance, receiving food stamps, Medicaid for the children and living in income-based housing. I couldn’t afford daycare for my children, so I was only able to work part time when my family could help me.   I went through the necessary steps to apply for re-enrollment to UNCW and soon received my letter of acceptance. I was finally making progress. After applying for and receiving financial aid and available grants, everything was in place to return to school with money for childcare, and enough grants and loans for tuition. My children and I could now live comfortably while I pursue my post secondary education.

With all that said, I stress the fact that it would not have been possible without the assistance programs available for struggling families or individuals. There are so many charities and resources available for education but for some individuals it is hard to find the right information. Many people get discouraged because it is just overwhelming trying to navigate the steps necessary to start college.   We all know someone that struggles or wants to go back to school but feels it is impossible. I ask you to encourage them and arm them with the knowledge to guide them. You could very well change someone’s life just by giving him or her the nudge they need or showing them the right place to start the process of obtaining their college degree.

Shannon Settlemyre

 

Here are a few helpful links for more information on low-income assistance and help paying for college

http://www.collegescholarships.org/grants/federal.htm

https://www.cfnc.org/index.jsp

https://www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/low-income-services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I write this post, i’m in total disbelief that my time at UNCW is coming to an end. Tomorrow, I will walk out of my last college class ever. I walked into UNCW as a shy transfer student, and I will leave as a successful graduate with a full-time position at a Marketing Agency.

The road to finding my niche wasn’t an easy one. During my entire time at UNCW I was working full-time and going to school full-time. This was not an easy schedule but somehow, my friends that I made during my time here always managed to pick me back up. Many late nights, long sighs, and lots of multi-tasking have a huge roll to play in this.

More importantly, though, I have to say that the confidence in myself and the idea of walking across the stage has me glowing from the inside out. The professors in the COM department taught me a lot- but mainly they taught me confidence. Confidence in an interview, confidence in a group, confidence in life. I could not speak in front of an audience before I came to UNCW, nonetheless give an entire presentation.

If I could give anyone advice before they graduate, it would be to take your time. Take your time in your classes, take your time with your friends, your work. Present things that you can be proud of, and in-turn, don’t forget to be proud of yourself. Don’t wish time away, because it will be over before you know it. Take advantage of the opportunities the COM department extends, and don’t be afraid to ask any of them for help.. even if it is with your personal budget. (Thanks, Dr. McDaniel).

UNCW gave me so much more than an education, it gave me the stepping stones for the rest of my life.

Good luck to all my fellow Seahawks, To UNCW, I’ll see you soon.

 

-Kelsey Holmes

A common question that continually seems to be asked in today’s generation is, “is a college degree really worth it?” Ten years ago, maybe you could say that having your diploma with a bachelor’s degree was more valuable than obtaining one within more recent years, which may be somewhat true, but is that really the only thing to care about? Now a day everyone says college is a scam, “you’re just wasting your money”, “why would do you want to be thousands of dollars in debt”, the list goes on and on. Then there is people on the opposite side of the spectrum saying stuff like, “you won’t be able to get a good job without a degree!”, or the best one of them all, “have fun flipping burgers at McDonalds!”. None of these really hold any truth in my opinion and both types of people couldn’t be any more wrong. I say it all depends with what you want to do with your life and what you want to make of yourself.

For myself, I believe choosing to go to college was one of the best decisions that I ever made post high school. The people you meet, the experiences you have, the opportunities that arise for you, are priceless in my opinion. Not only was going to college one of the best decisions that I made, but going away from my home state was an even better choice. Attending UNCW provided me with some of the best times with people that I had no idea who they were three years ago and now I will connect with them for the rest of my life. Taking the step and going to a university so far without knowing a single person is a huge commitment. It really takes you outside of your comfort zone and enables you to see what type of person you truly are. You don’t have your parents to hold your hand every step, every time a problem occurs, or something happens that doesn’t go your way. Problem solving and critical thinking skills are quick to come into play and allows you to mature overall as an individual. It seems to me a lot of people that go away to college their first year are taken out of their comfort zone and are not sure how to react to the situation so they give up and transfer back to their home university. Which ends up leading back to the same old routines, bad habits, hanging out with the same friends who you grew up with. Take a chance and break the pattern that you are so used to being in.

Of course there is the positives and negatives to every choice we make whether it is to go to college or not to go to college. I have had a ton of fun and learned quite a bit, but who is to say that going to a university half hour away instead 6 and half hours away wouldnt of done the same thing. Well the simple answer to that is, a college right down the road would not of had the Atlantic Ocean a bike ride away. All jokes aside, nobody will ever have the answer to that question and that’s what brings me to, no matter what you decide to do, everything is going to have its ups and downs. All you can really do is buckle up, don’t look back and put in 100-percent effort. 

To all the professors, classmates, and friends that I have encountered along the way, I want to say thank you all for making my college experience the best it could possibly be. At the end of the day, there is way more to college than just receiving a piece of paper and jumping right into a career that you will do for the rest of your life. Shout out to not only UNCW, but the Communication Studies Department as well, they have taught me more than I ever could have hoped for. So to answer the question, “is the tassel worth the hassle?” in my opinion, yes, the tassel IS worth the hassle.

~Nick Grimaldi

 

It’s hard to believe my time here as a Seahawk is coming to an end. After spending four and a half years of my life here it is crazy to think that I will be leaving. After my freshman year here I almost left UNCW to go back home and be closer to my family. My freshman year was hard; I was extremely homesick and not fitting in as well as I had hoped. My grades really weren’t that great and I felt like I had gone to college just to let my parents down in the end.

During high school I had a lot of really close friends I grew up with. They knew me better than anyone. Coming to college and starting all over with only a couple people from my high school was a really difficult transition for me. I felt like I had to explain my past to new people in order for them to understand me.

Luckily, my best friends, roommates, and family convinced me to stay at UNCW at least for another semester. I ended up making the best friends I’ve ever had here. They understand me better than my high school friends do. UNCW has helped me grow into the person I have aspired to be.

As I approach graduation I reflect back on my time here and I am grateful for the lessons I have learned. The biggest question I face is, “what next?” although I may not know for sure yet, I am confident I will find the right job in time. I feel society’s expectations are for us to get a job and start a career right out of college. I have to say, I don’t like it. I am only 23 years old. I see so much more to life than graduating college and immediately start working an 8-5 job Monday-Friday with limited vacation time because I’m new to the company.

My dream is to travel the world and experience as much of it as I possibly can before settling down into my career and family. If I could find a job that would allow me to travel everywhere I want and experience all I want then that would be amazing. For now, my future is play it day by day and introduce myself to as much of the world as I possibly can. My advice to those still in college, enjoy it. Don’t stress yourself out about getting a job right away. You have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do with your life. The MOST important thing is making sure you’re happy.

-Kirsten Pascale

 

It seems like just yesterday I started here at UNC Wilmington. Throughout the last five years, my life has changed so much. If you had told me five years ago that I would be graduating from UNCW with a degree in Communication Studies, I would have never believed you. For the longest time, I had dreamt of being a Pediatric Oncologist. I attended medical camps, took every science class possible, had an internship at the OBGYN, which might I add was still one of the best experiences I have had. When I came to UNCW I was still actively pursuing the medical career path. However, two and a half years later I realized that a career in the medical professional field was not the right fit for me at the time. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to have a career in the medical field, just not right now. We never know what the Future holds for us.

It is kind of funny how things change. When I first came to UNCW I felt so out of place, which was strange because I had dreamt of the day I would come to this school and major in Biology. After completing my first year at UNCW it was decided, I was transferring. Every class I took was a struggle. I went from being one of the top twelve in my class to a student who struggled to get by in each of their classes. After finals for the Spring semester of 2015, I applied to Appalachian State University and got accepted. I was so ready for a new chapter in my life. After spending a year at my dream school and feeling so out of place. The more I sat and thought about it over the summer the more I realized that I was meant to be here. I ended up at UNCW for a reason and I am more than happy that I did. I came back for my second year, again with my sights set on a Biology degree only to find out that it was not for me. I continually pushed myself in a major that I was not pleased with to appease the people around me. I was no longer doing something that made me happy. I was fulfilling these goals everyone around me had for me. It took me three semesters to truly realize that the only way I would be happy was to change my major.

Spring of 2016 I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I signed up for some general education courses hoping something would spark an interest and it did. I took COM 104 – Concepts in Communication Studies. Little did I know that this general education would lead me to find the degree I would graduate college with. Class registration came around and I thought to myself, “are you really going to give up on your lifelong dream?” So again I signed up for Science courses, and again I struggled. Finally, I made the decision to make myself happy. No more taking classes to appease the people around me. This was my future in my hands. So during the Fall 2016 semester, when registration time came I thought back to my semester of general education classes and I remembered the COM 104 class I took. I started researching all the career paths one could pursue with a Communication Studies degree and then I decided, this is it, this is the major I want to be a part of.

Even then I still had no idea what I was getting into. I did not realize that I would finally find my one place at the university where I fit in. I did not realize the types of relationships that you could build with professors. Nor did I realize the importance of Communication Studies. I remember sitting in COM 105 thinking to myself, “how much could there possibly be to learn about communication?” Thinking back on it now I realize I had a lot to learn. I am so thankful for this major and the opportunities it has opened up for me. One person that has made this major so special to me is Dr. Scott. The other night I was talking to my roommate about the people and things I will miss at this university. I said, “How do you express gratitude for someone that had such a monumental impact on your college career?” Dr. Scott, thank you. The only words I can say and they are the simplest. I cannot thank you enough for what you have taught me in my time as a Communication Studies department. You have truly shown me how much potential I have to grow as a person. Your strength in adversity is inspiring. You care so much for each individual student that you teach and it shows. You have so much knowledge. UNCW, the COM department, and I are all lucky to know you. Thank you for being a mentor to me and so many other students. If any of you are reading this and you have the chance, take a class with Dr. Scott. I took three with her and I wish I had the opportunity to take more.

To UNCW, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to attend here. I cannot actually imagine what my life would be like had I transferred. I have been given so many opportunities in Wilmington and at this university that I would not have gotten anywhere else. Thank you to each professor in the COM department that every taught me anything. Whether that be course knowledge or life lessons. The UNCW COM department is truly unmatched, but I may be a bit biased. To each student just entering this major, you are in for a wonderful ride. You are about to embark on a journey like no other. My only regret is that I did not find this major sooner so that I could have taken advantage of all that it has to offer. Good luck to all my fellow Seahawks.

-Kaylee Earp

 

The only true luxury we have in life, is time; you can’t get time back. This thought used to stress me out. As I transferred schools three different times as well as my degree. I felt like I was behind everyone that I had graduated high school with. One of my high school best friends has already graduated with her master’s degree in education while despite hurricane Florence’s efforts, I am about to finally see the end of my undergrad. As much as the thought of time has stressed me out, I have also grown to appreciate the value of time more than I have before.

I transferred to UNCW with my associates degree from Cape Fear Community College and the transition was easy. The counselors and professors were accommodating from the beginning. The transition from taking boring core classes to classes that interested me was exciting. After taking courses at two different community colleges, I had no idea the impact that UNCW would have. I have learned far more from my classes that apply the material than lecture classes before.

Over the course of five years, I have worked at the same job and through it, have met some of the most important people in my life. I have managed to pay my own rent for [almost] every month since moving out of my parents’ house, teaching me how bills really work unlike what high school finance classes taught. I learned to save my money, which lead to the ability to travel to Italy last summer through an outside program. I did not travel with anyone that I knew, but a group of people traveling solo like me. I met some of the best people on that trip and still stay in touch with to this day. I also learned how to buy a brand-new car on my own after my car was totaled over two years ago.

I suppose what I am saying is that there’s more to college than just receiving a diploma in the end. The people, the life skills and experiences along the way is what makes college so special. The quote from the mind journal helps put the importance of time into perspective. Everyone works at their own pace and some obstacles in life are all a part of the ride.

– Abigail Moorman