May 4, 2006
The Spring semester is over and I am just starting my Summer I course on
May 5th. Amazing how fast this semester went. It was worth every bit of time and effort
that I put into my classes. I encourage any adult that wants to go back to school to
submit an essay for the extreme makeover scholarship. It's worth the time it took and
made a difference, changing my life. When I first started going back to school, it was
exciting but scary at the same time. Now I'm comfortable with the campus and have met
some really great folks around campus. I want to say thanks to those who give scholarships
to non-traditional students encouraging the opportunity to improve themselves and their
futures. I am so glad that I took the time to go check out NIACC, because that bit of time
I took really paid off by giving my life and extreme makeover. Now it's some other lucky
adults turn. Good luck!
Laura Holtz
December 3, 2007
Today is my birthday, I turn 36.
Where does the time go? I think that all the time when I
look at my kids. They have grown up so fast. My kids
have supported me in my going back to school venture. I
think that I am setting a good example for them by
continuing my education. This year my kids have gotten
better grades then previous years. I was so nice to go
to conferences and hear the teachers say how well the
kids were doing this year; how much they have improved
in their studies. Now, I can’t be sure that the fact
that mom is going back to school has everything to do
with that, but I’d like to think it has had an effect on
them.
I have gotten to know some of the younger students at
NIACC and have enjoyed the time spent talking to them. I
found it interesting as to what they thought of school
and what their future plans are when they graduate. Some
have no direction, but others have a clear vision of
where they are headed. It is said that a person will
change careers six or seven times in their life time;
this will be one career change for me thus far. When I
went to see Chris Frenz (NIACC recruiter) last summer, I
had what I thought to be a clear direction of where I
was going to be after graduation, but now I am
discovering that looking into all areas of employment,
versus limiting oneself to just one, to be a good plan.
So, it will be interesting to see the direction this
venture leads me. Many people that I talk to say they
went to college and thought they would be doing one
thing and it ended up that they fell into something
totally different than what they had intended. That’s
the great adventure of life, it’s really unpredictable.
Have A Merry Christmas Everyone!
December 1, 2007
It’s hard to believe that the end of the semester is
right around the corner. I went into work today, but was
sent home due to the bad weather. I took advantage of
the time to work on homework. That was all-in-well until
the power went out. I suppose the lines were coated with
heavy ice. In about ten minutes, the power was up and
running again. Finals are coming up soon and I want to
be prepared. I can feel the pressure of limited time
closing in on me. It seems I have twenty-billion things
to do and not a whole lot of time to do them in. Know
the feeling? With Christmas coming, it will be a very
busy time of the year. I’m sure I will be busy at the
salon as I plan on picking up extra hours during the
winter break.
The kids are ready for winter break, as I am. I have
really enjoyed these past four months. I feel as if I
have grown as an individual and I’m eager to apply what
I’ve learned to an employment opportunity. I have my
next semester’s schedule, so I’ll be ready to go come
January 14th. My husband and I were talking the other
night and he asked me if I thought next semester would
be easier for me. I told him I thought it would be,
because now I an understanding of what to expect and
what is expected of me. That will make it somewhat
easier to meet the criteria set for me; got to love the
syllabus. I like surprises and all but not when it comes
to expectations and my grades. I want to say thank you
again to NIACC and scholarship donors for making going
back to college a reality for myself and others.
October 30, 2007
Wow, it’s hard to believe that midterms have come and
gone already. I’m finding it takes discipline to create
good study habits and going to class is a must. I
haven’t missed a class yet, but I see plenty who do. I
can’t help but to wonder how in the world they can catch
up when they fall behind. Midterm grades were just
posted, so it was fun to tell my daughter and son that
mom received pretty good grades thus far. I have been
staying very busy between trying to manage fourteen
semester hours of school, studying, working fifteen
hours a week, taking care of my two kids I have at home,
and trying to fit time in for my husband. By the end of
the day, I am ready for Calgon to take me away.
Seriously, though, I am really having fun with school.
I am so thankful that I took that first step and
checked into the option of going back to school. I would
recommend to any nontraditional student who is even
thought of going back to check into the options out
there. The whole experience of going back to college is
proving to be very rewarding. I’m learning all sorts of
new things that will benefit my future career.
Last Friday, I attended a scholarship luncheon in
honor of donors and recipients. Niacc served a wonderful
meal. I agreed with the student that spoke on behalf of
the recipients of scholarships; truly, it is a
selfless act for a person to donate money towards a
scholarship for someone’s education. I know for me, if I
had to work full-time on top of all the other
responsibilities that I have, I would have to give up
going to college for the sake of my sanity. I saw Troy
at the luncheon. I was at his table talking to a gal I
knew and I said that I hadn’t seen Troy around school.
Here Troy was sitting right there at the table next to
her and I didn’t even recognize him with his new look.
Troy has a beard now. We laughed but it was
embarrassing.
School is going well thus far. I register for next
semester classes tomorrow already. It’s amazing how time
flies, isn’t it?
Happy Halloween everyone!
August 29, 2007
The first day of school started with
ENG-102 Composition and Speech 1 at 7:40 A.M. As you can
imagine, I was tired. The time went by quickly
considering the class was two hours long. I realized
that it is going to take a bit of adjustment getting
used to studying again.
I love all the computer labs on campus. NIACC is hooked
up! The wireless network is up and running, already
tried that out. I have visited the Writers Workbench and
Student Learning Center, and have been spending a lot of
time in the library. Everyone here is so helpful. The
staff and classmates make you feel at home.
The first two days of school I also worked, came home
late, and checked on the kids making sure they had all
their homework done. Yes, it will be an adjustment,
however; I am sure it will not be long and all will seem
routine. I hope all the adults that are going back to
school this fall are having as good of experience as I
am.
See you around the campus,
Laura
