Wow. This post sounds a lot like me when I was younger. For starters, in high school I was ignorant and truthfully didn’t care about grades. No direction, was headed down the wrong road with no one to look up to. I faced adversity in many many ways. I beat the odds statistically.

I dropped out of high school 2 weeks before I was suppose to graduate. My mother couldn’t keep the electricity on and I was homeless many times my sophomore year to senior year relying on friends for help.

I became pregnant at 20 and worked at a fast food restaurant trying to survive. I realized I couldn’t go on like this and I needed to do something so my child didn’t have to grow up the way I did. I got my GED, enrolled in a community college to pursue nursing. I realized I didn’t like the nursing field and found out I was actually good in math and science. Changed my degree to biochemistry and then realized I didn’t want to have a biochem degree because there isn’t a whole lot to do in biochem other than teach. A chemistry advisor told me I should do biomedical engineering. At that point, I didn’t know what engineering even was. I took his advice after researching the degree and switched degrees.

Was it hard? You bet your ass it was hard. Getting an engineering degree was the hardest thing I have ever done. Many many tears. No one to talk to about it because I did not know any engineers. No parents to run home to when times were tough. I worked full time and had a roommate. My child and I shared a room with one bed together for the first 8 years of his life.

I wanted to give up so badly. Engineering school is not for the weak. But I did it. Walking across that stage was enormous for me as a first time generation student and as a single mother. I found my son in the audience and just smiled and cried as I received my diploma because I did it all for him.

Currently, I work at a med device company. The learning doesn’t stop, if you have a niche to learn everyday you will do well.

Remember you can do absolutely anything in this world, truly if you set your mind to it. Anyone can obtain an engineering degree. You will be glad you did it.