010. Milestones Pt.2

tldr: fresno city college is a college, and in the city of fresno

I don’t often like to talk about my experiences in high school given that they are vastly different than most everyone else (see Blog Post 09). However, it is a big part of my story, and today marks the second huge milestone in my life: as of 6:30pm (PST), I will have officially graduated from college. Sure, it isn’t like I am getting my Bachelor’s [hopefully I am still blogging by then– that’d make a cool addition to this blog series]. But this has been my life’s goal for the last four years. So dammit, I am going to write about it.

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I have spent the last four years at Fresno City College (AKA: FCC or Fresno City). This is a college, and in the city of Fresno. So as opposed to Design Science, why they chose this name is clear. I grew into my identity here. It was where I spent my childhood [my parent helps run one of the shows, so I grew up running around the theater]. It was where I first went to the women’s restroom and felt somewhat comfortable. It was where I connected to my community. FCC is one of the defining factors in cultivating who I am today.

I only recently started thinking about it, but how do community college teachers put in the effort every semester to learn student’s names? Students spend four years in high school and university. And it is completely valid to spend that amount of time or more at a community college. But the vast majority graduate in two years and continue on with their lives. I want to be a professor one day, and the thought of the interweaving lives of students who may never talk to each other again after two years is overwhelming. Maybe it is easier than if we had spent four.

This is where I had my first job! I spent (a grueling) summer in the parking lot with my best friend helping work the parking meters. After a month of hard, hot, and “standing on asphalt for two hours a day” sweatiness, I earned a grand total of: $400. It may not sound like much, but ooOoh boy– I spent half of it on a bike that I used to get to and from school for a year, and the other half of the cash went to starting my coffee addiction (see Blog Post 03).

A year later, I got my second job at FCC as a mathematics tutor. This job was very different than my first. On the one hand, becoming a tutor was a logical step on the path to one day becoming a professor; but it was so much more than that. I worked 19 hours a week [with a running AC] as opposed to 2, and I became linked with a community of tutors who are always happy to lend a hand [both academically and emotionally]. It taught me to deeply appreciate the work that a professor has to do through working and learning with them. I also learned the importance of effectively using your resources– going to office hours, asking for clarification, getting help.

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In the last blog post I talked about the math classes I took during my time here. Maybe in one blog post I will talk about the humanities courses I took [if anything as a way to document it for when I am old and forgetful]. Either way, I will wrap up my post saying this:
I don’t like bragging about myself. If one even considers this to be bragging. I don’t see it like that. Attending Fresno City College was simply the opportunity that life presented me with. It couldn’t have been any other way.

Paige