Discovering Your Own Superpowers
For Randa, attending college was never a question. College was a means to do something she loved, which was to keep learning. It wasn’t about if she was going to go, but more about how she could go to college. Growing up, Randa saw both her mother and grandmother as college graduates which became her true inspiration and motivation to see it through.
There were several obstacles that could have hindered Randa’s ability to keep going. The first thing was the ability to pay for college. She didn’t have any scholarships or funding set aside and realized she would have to pay for school out of pocket and would need to work full time to be able to do so.
It was her plan to first start off at community college and pay for classes along the way. This would eventually take her five years and fifteen different major changes to complete the credits she needed to finish her desired associate’s degree.
After transferring to Texas State University, Randa learned she had too many credits completed from her time at the community college per admission regulations. Even though she was born and raised in Texas her entire life, she would have to pay out of state tuition — out of pocket. Not only was figuring out how to pay this costly tuition terrifying to her, but Randa had to drive an hour and a half each way to get to campus, which equated to a quarter tank of gas to get there, and a quarter tank to get back.
Another major obstacle Randa battled with on a regular basis was anxiety, which worsened tremendously when she started going to college. After transferring to Texas State University, she continued to spiral into a deeper abyss of anxiousness surrounded by unknown places, new people, and unexpected situations.
She missed going to a lot of classes during her first semester at the university, which caused her to get behind and then she would convince herself not to go out of discouragement. Randa’s anxiousness continued to soar as she knew this could impact her grades and what was once one of her lifelong goals since she was a little girl, soon felt like an unreachable and unachievable dream.
Finding the will to turn it around
When Randa would have those moments of doubt or would lose sight of why she was putting herself through such a difficult period of her life, she would turn to her support systems like her mom to give her the guidance she needed and be reminded of why it was important for her to stick this out. She was tired of working so hard throughout the week, constantly working to better her situation. She was reminded by her mom that completing college could be a means to open more doors for better paying jobs.
Realizing she didn’t want to continue to struggle the way she had been for so many years, Randa discovered within herself the will to continue. When doubt would creep in, she would change her mindset of quitting and would think of anything else not to feed those thoughts in those moments.
In order for Randa to even attempt to pay for school while attending college, she lived at home until she was 21. She first looked for jobs that would allow her to have flexibility with her school schedule such as retail and eventually bartending, which she would hustle her way through to pay her college expenses.
Randa started writing about her anxiousness and how she was feeling as a coping mechanism by working through what triggers caused her anxiety. She was then able to figure out how to avoid those triggers and address them, which would lessen the anxiety. She would do things like arrive to campus early before class started. She would try and make a friend early on in the semester by finding a reason to talk to someone and feel less alone in class. She would start reading textbooks even before classes started so she wasn’t behind and could always be prepared if she was called on. Always being overly prepared was key.
Redefining the ‘Norm’
Randa had no idea what it would take for her to complete one of her lifelong dreams, she just knew that she wasn’t going to let any obstacles stop her no matter how long (seven years), how much (thousands of dollars out of pocket) and by any means (battling anxiety). Her tenacity for achieving a long term goal ultimately was accomplished and something no one could ever take away from her.
Every college student’s experience is different and at the end of the day, how you get to the finish line doesn’t matter. Discovering what you need to do to get there is where the true form of genius is revealed.
Randa has a passion for learning and education with plans of continuing her college career in the future to obtain a Masters and then a Ph.D, dreaming to become a college professor. Her motivation to help others stems from her grandmother, who was a social worker, and her great grandfather, who was the first commissioner of education in Texas. With big shoes to fill, comes a deeper drive to help others find motivation and achieve their goals which led her to Upswing.
