NATHAN R. STROUD
Nathan is majoring in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
NATHAN’S STORY
Whitney High School | Sierra College
I will admit, community college was not the direction I thought I would be going after graduating high school, but upon reflection, I am thankful for having gone down this path. Without community college, I would not have ended up where I am today.
I overextended myself in high school, dividing my time between AP classes, extracurricular activities, and community projects. I did not focus my time on college applications, so when decisions came I found myself rejected from most of the universities I applied for. Around this time my father had also lost his job, necessitating my stay near home to work.
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
Theodore Roosevelt
WHAT HAS BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE HAS GIVEN YOU?
Community college allowed me to help my family and work while pursuing a degree, has provided me a second chance to get into a university that I wanted, and has certainly lowered the financial burden of attaining a degree.
Being a transfer student has allowed me to be a First Generation college student at one of the most prominent public universities in the country, while allowing me time in community college to attend to my family’s needs through work. Community college was not expected, but it was what I needed.