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How Trident Technical College is Helping Me Achieve My Childhood Dream

Addie Ledbetter

Future Alumni Essay Contest

2017 Winner


We all grow up saying we’re going to be a doctor, astronaut, dentist, or dancer, but how many of us actually get to where we want to be? Trident Technical College aims to educate the individual, accelerate the economy, and inspire the future. This is how Trident helped me educate, accelerate, and inspire.

Trident Technical College offers not only an affordable education, but it offers you the chance to hone in on what you want to do for the rest of your life. Every person you meet at the college wants you to do your best. Yes, the classes are important, but the relationships you build with your professors and peers are what make the experience worthwhile. Entering my first class at Trident, I was very nervous. However, it didn’t take long for me to get comfortable with my professor and my other classmates who shared similar interests with me. We talked about where we had gone in life and where we were going. That’s what was most important. We all had a commonality about us. We wanted to learn. Without this nurturing environment Trident had created, I’m not sure if my nerves would ever have let up.

Like many other people, I wanted to find the best and of course most affordable place to receive my education. I looked at countless other colleges and universities, but Trident just made the most sense. The class times were flexible, and I was able to live my own life all while earning my degree. Our society is very fast-paced, so the flexibility of Trident’s classes made it possible for me to earn my nursing degree while also working to pay for my school. Trident Technical College has three things that makes it stand out over other colleges; FLEXIBLE. AFFORDABLE. WORTHWHILE. I can’t express what a wonderful decision I made on where to pursue my higher education.

Trident doesn’t just produce college graduates. It produces change makers. It produces leaders in our community who are well-educated and skilled to take on the work force. Each day our economy requires more and more college graduates to do the jobs that our companies produce. Without Trident, those needs would not be met. Like I mentioned earlier, we all have a dream when we are young. Mine was to be a nurse. Mine still is to be a nurse. Because of Trident, I will be able to achieve that dream. I will enter the workforce as a compassionate, kind, hard-working nurse. I will help other sick employees return to the job of their dreams. Without Trident, I wouldn’t be able to give back to our communities.

Our college give us a chance. It gives us a chance to learn, grow, and inspire. By producing qualified college graduates, we are able to set the bar high for our next generation of students. They will see us in all our glory, and they too will be inspired to go to college and succeed. It’s been a long journey for many of us. For some, it has been harder than others. However, we are all here to get a better education for ourselves. I hope to inspire others around me that you too can achieve your childhood dream. Life may put it on hold, but you can and will get there. As a member of Trident Technical College’s Class of 2019 and a future registered nurse, I will commit myself to sharing my stories on how my education decision positively impacted my future.
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