As the last month of the year begins, 2016 has been a major year for people to accomplish goals and reflect on their personal milestones. 2016 has been an interesting year with memorable moments, events, and stories to highlight. For myself, this entire year provided new aspirations, goals, and experiences with an endless motivation for success. From ending my graduate school journey, passing an important exam, and starting my path as a SAPro, this year was a positive milestone in my life.
At the start of this year, I wrote a long list of goals to achieve during this year in my success journey. Despite a long list of goals, the two biggest ones in my journal were passing the comprehensive exam and graduating with my Masters Degree.
The biggest moment of my life this past year was accomplishing my goal of obtaining my Masters Degree. As a first-generation graduate student, earning this degree meant so much to myself and my family. During my graduate school journey, I was passionate about earning my degree for a variety of reasons. Sharing this moment with my family highlighted this year as one of my proudest moments in my life.
Mastering Your Path With Goals
When I first started my graduate program, I wrote the phrase “Keep your eyes on the prize” as my mantra for success. Throughout my two years in the Organizational Leadership/Higher Education program, this phrase motivated me to stay positive and embrace this chapter. As a first generational student, graduating college motivated me to further my education towards obtaining my Masters Degree. Despite feeling confident about my path towards Higher Education, there were some stressful times in my final semester. As the comprehensive exam season started, I studied for months toward passing the exam. From the start of the semester to Spring Break, this goal was my number one priority towards ending graduate school with success.
Receiving my passing exam letter was the crowning moment of two years of hard work. After two years of determination, my goal of earning a Masters of Arts degree was only days away. I was so excited to close this chapter of my journey with a smile. Four days before graduation, I decided to decorate my graduation cap with the inspiration of my favorite superhero, Captain America, and my wonderful mother.
Never Let Your Start Determine The End of Your Story
Remind yourself that the start of your path is only a section towards achieving your personal and professional goals. Earning my Masters Degree will always be a reflection of optimism, faith, and grit. Seeing my family and loved ones was an amazing feeling walking across the stage with another degree of higher education. Despite feeling my success in graduate school would be limited as a first-gen student, I kept moving forward. There will be moments in life that test our grit and motivation for success in major ways. Even with fear, stress, or hope, keep believing in the good you bring to the world.
Always bet on yourself to make a difference and inspire others who may need support. I hope you all had an amazing 2016 and reflect on your journey.
Here’s to a great end to this year and a positive start to 2017.
“If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.”-Les Brown
> BONUS <
Podcast With Stacy Oliver-Sikorski on Professional Development
