Beginning of 2010 I was at BYU-Idaho in a tough semester on my very last thread of sanity. I had two jobs and was taking 18 credits. I was on my fifth full time semester in a row with. Then at the beginning of the semester my brace broke so I had to traipse up and down the snowy hills with poor balance. I also wasn't as good as I thought I was at balancing my desire to have a busy schedule.
So I put a lot of things upon myself without the tools necessary to handle it all. I did it to myself and I know it.
I ended up not doing as well on my grades as I thought I did. I got put on academic suspension. I had to leave BYUI for a year and get at least a 2.0 GPA with at least 12 credits at another school before I could go back.
I was devastated and embarrassed. I had to call home and tell my parents what happened and suddenly figure out what I was going to do with my life for the next year. I knew I could go stay with my family but after living on my own I didn't want to do that unless I needed to. Luckily for me I had a family I was close with that let me come stay with them in Spanish Fork for a bit while I found a job and a place to live.
Two months later, I had a job and an apartment. I got started at the nearby university towards the end of my year requirement so that I could go back to my beloved school.
But to my surprise, when my year was up I didn't want to leave.
I had grown attached to my new life in Utah. I had made some great friends and new connections and I loved it. Then I got confirmation that I did need to stay.
So I stayed. I wasn't sure why but for some reason I needed to stay. The longer I stayed, the more I loved it.
Still though, I hid my reasoning for leaving Idaho. I avoided the question and kept it a secret from anyone who I deemed "unworthy" to know.
But I have finally moved on.
It's taken a while, but I am done hiding. I may not be proud of my prior mistakes, but I have overcome them, learned from them and grown from them.
It may have taken longer than I originally planned, but I'm graduating in April in a field that I never before imagined me loving. From leaving Idaho, I took off my career blinders and allowed myself to develop other talents I had and some that I didn't know I had. And because of that, I'm grateful that I had to leave Idaho. Because of that window opening, I have made some of the best friends that I sometimes wonder how I got so lucky to have them.
The amazing thing that I didn't realize until recently was how much I have focused on doing the best that I could and how much that effort was paying off.
Wednesday, October 22 I was inducted into the Lambda Pi Eta: Alpha Beta Beta, a National Honor Society. In order to be eligible for this, you had to be a junior or senior, have at least a 3.0 overall GPA, at least a 3.25 GPA in your communication core and be in the top 1/3 of the graduating class. Once you join the society, you are a lifetime member. I also will wear honor cords with my cap and gown at graduation.
It was after receiving notice about being eligible for this society that I realized how far I have come. Never mind that it took me 7 years to graduate. I have been on the path that I needed to be on the whole time. My mind just didn't catch up with it until now.
Upcoming status: Amanda Hollman, proud graduate with honor society standing and a lot of life experience under her belt and unashamed of her past.
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So I put a lot of things upon myself without the tools necessary to handle it all. I did it to myself and I know it.
I ended up not doing as well on my grades as I thought I did. I got put on academic suspension. I had to leave BYUI for a year and get at least a 2.0 GPA with at least 12 credits at another school before I could go back.
I was devastated and embarrassed. I had to call home and tell my parents what happened and suddenly figure out what I was going to do with my life for the next year. I knew I could go stay with my family but after living on my own I didn't want to do that unless I needed to. Luckily for me I had a family I was close with that let me come stay with them in Spanish Fork for a bit while I found a job and a place to live.
Two months later, I had a job and an apartment. I got started at the nearby university towards the end of my year requirement so that I could go back to my beloved school.
But to my surprise, when my year was up I didn't want to leave.
I had grown attached to my new life in Utah. I had made some great friends and new connections and I loved it. Then I got confirmation that I did need to stay.
So I stayed. I wasn't sure why but for some reason I needed to stay. The longer I stayed, the more I loved it.
Still though, I hid my reasoning for leaving Idaho. I avoided the question and kept it a secret from anyone who I deemed "unworthy" to know.
But I have finally moved on.
It's taken a while, but I am done hiding. I may not be proud of my prior mistakes, but I have overcome them, learned from them and grown from them.
It may have taken longer than I originally planned, but I'm graduating in April in a field that I never before imagined me loving. From leaving Idaho, I took off my career blinders and allowed myself to develop other talents I had and some that I didn't know I had. And because of that, I'm grateful that I had to leave Idaho. Because of that window opening, I have made some of the best friends that I sometimes wonder how I got so lucky to have them.
The amazing thing that I didn't realize until recently was how much I have focused on doing the best that I could and how much that effort was paying off.
Wednesday, October 22 I was inducted into the Lambda Pi Eta: Alpha Beta Beta, a National Honor Society. In order to be eligible for this, you had to be a junior or senior, have at least a 3.0 overall GPA, at least a 3.25 GPA in your communication core and be in the top 1/3 of the graduating class. Once you join the society, you are a lifetime member. I also will wear honor cords with my cap and gown at graduation.
It was after receiving notice about being eligible for this society that I realized how far I have come. Never mind that it took me 7 years to graduate. I have been on the path that I needed to be on the whole time. My mind just didn't catch up with it until now.
Upcoming status: Amanda Hollman, proud graduate with honor society standing and a lot of life experience under her belt and unashamed of her past.
