Our Future is College Bound
By: Angela Swenson
“Good grades are just the tip of the iceberg. When you get down to it, it’s all about college.” Those words repeated in my head as my maternal grandfather lay in his hospital bed, dying. Tears flowed down my flushed cheeks as we heard his heart beating slower and slower until his pillow sank in from his head. We knew it was only a matter of time. My grandpa Bob had been struggling with cancer since the day I was born. I was only eight at the time, my brother was nineteen. He was already at an engineering college, only having two more years left. I always had big dreams even before I was even eight. Only to have stop when I was thirteen...
Living in Oakland, few options had been open to me. I always wanted to live where my mother’s parents lived. Out in the country, quiet, good schools. Having a house on 27th Avenue doesn’t help either.When there are drug dealers, addicts, and and alcoholics life seems to be so bad. It seems like just yesterday my friend Noah tried to commit suicide. He thought of himself as “lame” and “worthless”. He didn’t like it when people promised him because it brought up painful memories. After he moved to Paloma, California we kept in contact. He was such a nice guy, never willing to give in to anything. Until one day, he just gave up hope. As of right now, he is in his first year of college. I’m glad he didn’t drop out or anything like that. He does projects with spreadsheets on Excel and things like that (I only know this because he asked me if I could help him with his homework, but I don’t know how a thirteen year old girl is supposed to help an eighteen year old with college homework). Anyways, my dad always told me to never give up, so I decided to tell Noah the same way. Not all incidents can be solved the same when it comes down to suicide. Knowing this, I tried my hardest to help him through the rough spots.
I found out it was all about a girl he used to love. They were neighbors living in a town close to Paloma. Her mom said they had to move and its been four years since he had last seen her. She promised Noah that she would come back, but she never did. He said he’d be happy as long as she was okay. When I heard this, I felt like he had dropped all the suicide thoughts and just forget about it. I was wrong, but at least he wasn’t always wanting to kill himself. After solving this incident, I decided that I too, would never give in. However, this situation was hard on me mentally and emotionally. I couldn't think clearly knowing that a best friend could kill themselves at any moment. I fell into a deep depression, making things take a greater affect on me after that. I tried to get out more into the world and meet new people. I took a visit down to a high school I chose to go to so I could find people to talk to. I met these two guys, Jody, Damian and Felix. Really nice, smart guys when you talked to them. One had light brown hair,another had blond and the last had blackish blond. I finally got the chance to talk to Noah. He seemed happier than before, and I too, was happier than before. I finally lived up to my dad’s saying, “Never give in to the challenges that approach you in your lifetime.”
College for me is something to be pursued in life. My family had struggles with college as well. My mom had dropped out of high school and my dad stayed for awhile and then dropped out. My dad went to a college run by monks and he was the first to get a B in his History class. My brother was the first one to complete 4 years of college to become an engineer. We would always visit him and bring him food to his dorm. We went to his graduation and shortly after he got married to his girlfriend Christine. They moved to Texas and they have a wonderful life together. Him working as an engineer brought him fortune and luck. All thanks to his college education. I wished my parents would go/finish college, but they’re always too busy to do so. That is why I want to go to college as well.
Going to college for me means going to school where I can learn fashion design. Fashion is a course I’ve always wanted to take and my dream job. Going on this trip could help me pick a good college and help look for other job options. This will help me choose the right school to pursue my dreams and become like my brother; Nice home and a loving family.
Sincerely,
Angela (Angie) Swenson
