By Terry A. Beyer
My first semester at Trident Technical College (TTC) has
been a transformative and transitional period. TTC is not my first college
experience. It is, however, the first time I have been able to put my entire
focus into my education as a full time student. Entering TTC after 9 years in
the Marines, I expected greater difficulty fitting in and interacting with my
peers and teachers. I quickly found myself enjoying the change of pace and
environment that TTC has provided. The wide range of students and teachers I am
able to learn from is varied and makes for a flexible and non-strenuous
experience. What’s more, the school is very proactive with attending to their
resident veterans benefits, staying on top of the required forms and due dates.
The smooth and stress-free transition into student life allows more time to
focus on the important things. I entered TTC in Fall 1 intending to go through
the Veterinarian Technician program. TTC has a great class all vet tech applicants
are required to attend prior to admission to the program, where applicants are
given the chance to ask questions to licensed vet techs working in multiple
aspects of the field. This class offered me the opportunity to consider what I
wanted from my education and myself, allowing me to reconsider my degree plan
before committing to the program. This saves myself, my family, and the college
a lot of potential time and money.
Having been afforded the
opportunity to choose an educational path that better suits myself, I have
enrolled in the Associate of Arts degree program at TTC. After I complete my degree
at TTC, I will apply to the Savannah College of Art and Design’s (SCAD) Writing
Bachelor’s degree program. I will also apply to the University of South
Carolina Beaufort (USCB) to enter their Bachelor of Arts in English with a
focus on Writing as my second option. My professional goals are to teach English
and creative writing at a college level, or be employed as a book editor for
fiction writers at a publishing house. My personal goals are to be a writer of
fiction and nonfiction, and a photographer. If I am unable to attend either
college of my initial preference, I intend to first look in the Southeast U.S.
for a school with a writing program that best suits my professional goals and
then look outwards from there.
In the
future, I would like to help others find success at TTC. I would encourage my
fellow veterans to attend TTC-not just for their education, but also for the fellowship
they can find here. Potentially as a teacher, one day standing where my own
mentors stood. In their shoes I can bring the knowledge I have received full
circle. Perhaps in my niche as a writer, I would be able to highlight TTC as
one of the oft missed staples of the low country. Growing up locally, the
school has been a valuable educational resource for the families in the tri-county
area and deserves the recognition as such.
As a new student at Trident
Technical College and a first time full time student I am still deciding what I
am going to be when I grow up. At 27, it has been almost 10 years since high
school and these past 9 have been spent both out of state and overseas doing
work entirely different from my chosen career path. I am looking forward to
taking my next step with TTC, whether it be in the direction I expect or in an
entirely new one.
Comments
Post a Comment