There was a time when the name “Sinclair Community College” produced a stubborn and sarcastic laugh from me. It’s amazing what a few humbling quarters will do.
Around my junior year of high school was when the idea of college was thrown my way. At that point, like most high school students, I was thinking about enrolling at Harvard, Stanford or Princeton. With a 2.0 grade point average, how could they turn me away?
It’s humorous to look back at how gullible I was at 16 years old. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one at that age who thought they were going to their favorite college football or basketball school.
After high school, something tapped me on the head. It was life whispering, “school isn’t free anymore, buddy.” So, I enrolled at Sinclair with the same lazy attitude that barely got me out of high school.
Why is it so easy to fall into a rut, but so difficult to pull yourself out?
Going to Sinclair became a part-time job where I wasn’t looking at the college as an opportunity for education, but rather an obligation.
Two years of failure and disappointment later, I finally got my act together. It only took the stamp of “academic probation” to wake me up. I felt ashamed to get branded with the probation mark.
Finally, I was tired of the poor grades and disappointing looks from my family and friends. Instead of taking classes to take classes, I chose a direction and put my feet on the ground.
I’ve since pulled myself out of the depths of the academic hole with some determination and effort. Not only did Sinclair open my eyes to the importance of education, it also kicked me in the butt for a head start.
The amount of time I wasted makes me want to pity myself. The amount of money I wasted makes me want to slap myself. The amount of opportunity I wasted makes me want to do it all over again.
Not all of us cherish our time at Sinclair, but it’s never too late.