A Community Accomplishment

Last semester, the end of this return to undergrad, I took Physics II, Organic Chemistry II, and Calculus. On my first day in Calculus, I knew I was in over my head and told the professor that my previous math class had been interrupted----- by watching the second tower fall on 9/11. This was not entirely true; my pre- calculus class in high school was actually in 2003, only ten years ago. In my 28 student Calculus class, I was one of four students to not have taken Calculus previously. I was the only one of those four who had not taken pre- calculus last semester.
In both Calculus and Organic Chemistry, I had extremely hard working professors who demanded excellence from their students and had the class averages to show that students were being challenged. In physics, I had the same professor as last semester, but more difficult material, a very rigorous pace, and I witnessed class averages significantly lower than last semester.

BUT I had a great team mate in Calculus--- another nontraditional student willing to work 3 to 4 hours every day on incredibly frustrating online homework problems and very thorough test reviews. I had a great study partner in organic chemistry, a motivated pre- pharmacy sophmore with a knack for both cooking and chemistry, so that our study days were amply sustained. In physics, my lab partners and I met the weekend of finals to fill all the classroom chalkboards with our most difficult diagrams and theories.

Throughout this year, furthermore, I have received incredible support from my housemates, who are always there when I feel a bit beaten down. The Purpose Driven Ladies' Group members at St. Michael's parish have both supported my decisions and really cared about me as a person. Finally, my incredible mentoring relationship with a friend, Tej, has been a great lift in times of difficulty.

There is no wonder why my Grandpa, the rural physician with a 50 yr. long practice, is one of the most community centered people I know.... nor why my housemate Dr. Jim is incredibly involved in his community. It is the secret of success, it is why my grades have remained stellar and I am ready for step 2: MCAT prep!