Throughout my life I have been faced with many obstacles that has dictated what I was going to do with my life. As a child we all want to be someone famous, a super hero and a doctor; but as life sets in we begin to realize that the most exciting part about growing up is that you do not always know what you are going to do until it hits you smack on the head. Throughout life you play the cards you’re dealt, and finally once you can take a step back from reality you can come to a realization of what really is your set dreams.
As a young child I can remember vividly trying on my mothers clothes. High heels that were too big, dresses that hung way too low, and red lipsticks smeared across my face. I would imagine that I was going to be a movie star, walking the red carpet. In high school I joined the theatre class to see if my hard work as a child would pay off. My first performance was magical. After that night I thought to myself that maybe, just maybe, I could be that movie star walking down the red carpet.
As high school theatre continued I studied hard for all of my performance. I thought at this time I would get my education and go on to film school. At the age of 17 obstacles faced me when problems at my mother’s house had me moved 80 miles away to my father’s house. Moving in with my father was a start of rebellion. Living with him required me to be under intense stress from dictatorship and as a teenager I found myself getting into more trouble than anyone could imagine. I stayed up late, stop studying for school, hung out with older guys and thought my knowledge was the ONLY thing valid in this world. I managed to graduate high school and immediately moved out of my father’s house to venture out on my own.
Just like I was told, life was not easy living away from the parental nest. At this point I had no clue what I would spend my life doing. I lived day by day and I quickly learned that this was an unrealistic lifestyle. In May of 2006 I was faced with another obstacle. I was pulled over by Newport Beach police department and was arrested for Driving under the influence of alcohol. I had reached an all time low. I had been without schooling for almost 4 years, I had two dead end jobs, and my parents didn’t want to offer much support at this point. Both of them are educated with college degrees and hold great professions. Together they could offer me wisdom and knowledge that would be the stepping stones for my future. First and foremost I had to find a way to pay off my old lifestyles. Once this was done I needed to attend school and decide what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing.
I joined RCC in 2009 with the hopes of obtaining my nursing credentials. I am currently enrolled in four classes to fulfill my pre-requisites to continue on to the Riverside Nursing Program. I have chosen the path of going to a community college because after all of my expensive life I am left with little financial help from anyone other than my own pockets. Most of the classes I am currently enrolled in probably would not be classes I would take without the nursing program. I am horrible at math and placed into Math 52. My teacher seems very nice, but very hard to understand and does not seem to be “teaching” the material, rather explaining what is in the book. My Speech 9 class will soon become my favorite class. We spend all of class talking and I am assuming to get an A in this class because talking comes second nature to me. Once I complete these classes I have about a year left at RCC before I move on to the Nursing program.
What my future holds is still unknown. I would hope that the obstacles I have been faced with would have been the most difficult ones I overcame. I look forward to completing my schooling, going on to the nursing program, and spending my life helping people with their obstacles. I hope that my stories will be advice I can pass on to my children that will help them to better understand that obstacles will always face us, but it is our decisions we make after them that shape us as individuals. I plan to surround my family with people who show positive feedback from our community and have similar thoughts as my husband and I.
The cards I have been dealt could have resulted in better plays, but I chose the path I am on today. I am finally able to play my cards effectively. I have faced obstacles that have finally hit me in the head and shown me what my life will hold. I have always had my parents for inspiration but chose not to listen until way later in life. I have finally been able to step back and see that I was always destined to be a nurse. Each obstacle I was faced with only set me back, but would never be able to hold me from finally realizing me dreams.
