“I’m attending BCCC for an associate’s art degree. This is my third and final year. My main goals here are to earn my degree, make connections and achieve the opportunity to attend a good university. Succeeding college is important to me and my family. Getting this degree will help me obtain my dream job, which will hopefully let me financially support myself and those close to me. I want to become an animator or illustrator. The exact context of what I’m illustrating doesn’t matter much because I just love the creative process and bringing my ideas to life. It’s something I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid, and to have that as a profession would be amazing. I take art commissions and I also post my drawings online in the hope that they’ll appeal to someone that could lead me to my career. I’m always watching videos to learn new techniques and trying to apply them to my own work. The sudden requirement of responsibility and independence has been a difficult part of being in college. Comparatively, it was a lot harder than high school in regards to what’s expected of you, finding and delivering important papers to the offices, as well as meeting deadlines and making appointments. What’s been rewarding is actually gaining and appreciating that sense of responsibility and independence. It gave me the drive to get things done and not settle for the bare minimum, which are skills that can be applied to many different fields other than school, like work or hobbies. I’m most proud of my personal growth while at BCCC. I think when I first attended, I wasn’t as confident or assertive as I am now. But, because of the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had, I’ve become more willing to put myself into situations I would have avoided in the past. I think the small community size of BCCC attributed to that in a way. I was able to personally connect with students and staff in a way that I don’t think I could have at a large university. I’ve helped a lot of newcomers with getting adjusted to college and I’ve helped some old friends get into college, too. School can be hard to understand sometimes, and it can be a lot easier to ask a peer for advice on what to do next. We all share a common goal of attending college to better ourselves, so I think it’s important to help anyone reach that goal. I want people to know that BCCC isn’t anything to be afraid of. It’s a good school with good people that want to see you succeed. The atmosphere is nice, the students are pleasant and the staff are helpful. If you’re looking to smoothly earn your degree, then BCCC is a great place to attend. Some people that have helped me in college are Professor Payne, Dean Brooks, and the many advisers at the advisory office. If I needed general advice, help with understanding how to further advance, a plan on what to do going forward, or just certain things explained to me, I could always count on those people. Professor Payne’s class taught me not to scrape by in life. She doesn’t care for nonsense or laziness, and I think that’s an important attitude to have when it comes to anything. She will tell you when you’re not doing as well as you could be, and it’s because she doesn’t want you to be okay with being mediocre. While she has also taught me many skills and techniques to improve my artwork, the lesson of not doing the bare minimum has had such a great impact on me.”
