My Alma Mater

Well this week's Show Us Your Life is all about alma maters.  I wish (sometimes) that I could tell you that I had a typical college experience, but that's something I kind of missed out on.  I took a two-year community college scholarship right out of high school, partly because it was free and partly because of the fine arts program. I had a great time in the plays and choir and playing secretary.  Little did I know that I would soon make a decision that would change the course of my life.

Not only did I meet people who remain a big part of my life to this day (Hi, girls!), community college was where I decided to become a teacher.  Teaching was something that I had spent most of my life sure I did not want to do. (Both of my parents are teachers, after all.)  But through a series of events, I ended up joining AmeriCorps. 

AmeriCorps is a program that does many different things, but in my area, we tutored and mentored at-risk kids in local school districts.  It took me about five minutes to discover that it was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  You are able to do two years of service, and get paid a stipend as well as money for school, so when I transferred into the Teacher Education Program at SIU, I decided to continue with AmeriCorps.  While it was a great opportunity, it meant living on campus wasn't really a viable option (as my volunteer site was almost an hour away from campus), so I became a commuter and continued living at home.  (Free room and board is always preferable to cafeteria food and a roommate who annoys you.  Of course I was still living with my pre-teen baby sister, so...)

So, I don't have stories about my Greek affliations, wild college parties, or the big Homecoming game.  But I do have great memories of laughing with the lunch crew and with the girls (and a few guys) in our cohort group.  And best of all, I found what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  And isn't that really the best thing college can give you?