Trust me when I say the glimmer of light at a community college can fade at times.
Spring marks my 14th and final quarter as a student at Sinclair Community College, and I can tell you from first-hand experience that the road was not an easy one to follow.
There were quarters I took, classes I skipped and homework I ignore. There were times where I wanted to throw in the towel and give up on my college education. But, as I look back, those mental hurdles made me a stronger and more disciplined student and individual in the end.
I was recently sent a list of famous associate’s degree graduates from two-year colleges all around the country. After running across some surprising names, the light I previously spoke of has brightened.
A few names …
Fred Haise graduated from Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College. Haise later became an astronaut for NASA and was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 13.
John Cougar Mellencamp graduated from Vincennes University in Indiana. Mellencamp later was inducted in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Jackie Robinson graduated from Pasadena Junior College in California. Robinson later became the first African American Major League Baseball player and won the 1949 National League Most Valuable Player.
John White graduated from Central Piedmont Community College in North Carolina. White later became a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.
Tom Hanks graduated from Chabot College in California. Hanks later became an Academy Award-winning actor.
Walt Disney graduated from Metropolitan Junior College in Missouri. Disney later created the empire that is the Walt Disney Company.
Francine Neff graduated from Cottey Junior College in Missouri. Neff later became the United States Treasurer during the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford terms.
Phil Tippett graduated from Palomar Community College in California. Tippett later worked the visual effects for films such as “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back,” “Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi” and “Jurassic Park.”
Some students may be skeptical of what an associate’s degree will lead to after graduation.
Just remember: There is always a light at the end of every tunnel.