graduated!

so i graduated, i'm allllll done!  saturday was the commencement ceremony.  my brother in law and sister in law flew in from cali and so they joined hubby, my parents and my brother and sister in law and their littlest one.  it was a long day and the sun was beating down which means that it was beautiful but hot!  the ceremony was long but it was a great experience.  there were tons people there, probably 30-40 thousand people total, 5600 or so graduates.  going up on stage to get my (fake) diploma was super fun and after i picked it up and shook the hand of the dean of the college of arts and sciences, i waved to my family (i couldn't see them but i knew the general area of where they were sitting) like a crazy person, and hubby saw me on the big screen.  so it was good.  afterwards we went home and all ate some persian kebob and rice together and then passed out, we were all so tired.  it was a great day.  sunday i had a small get together with some friends and family, we ate some cake to celebrate.  i feel so relieved that i don't have to rush around and stress out about how to get my studying done, it's nice to have my evenings back to do the other things on my to-do list.  this whole school journey started back in 2007 when i decided to go back to school and further my education.  i had been working in banking/finance for about 8 years or so and although i enjoyed the job i was working at and loved my boss and co-workers, i wanted to try something else.  i started going to the community college in north seattle to start getting through my pre-requisites.  my goal was to go to community college and then try to transfer to a university.  i was working full time and taking 2-3 classes in the evenings.  it made my life very very busy.  i was able to take several classes online, the english and history classes, but had to take most of the classes on campus, so for a few years i would rush home from work and head to class, come home late at night, eat quickly and go to sleep.  luckily, there were only a few quarters that i had classes every night.  the hardest time was when hubby and i were engaged, we were both working full time and going to school, hubby was taking classes at night to get his master's degree, we were wedding planning, and my grama was battling pancreatic cancer.  it was one of the hardest times of my life in many ways.  the week after our wedding we both had midterms to take, so it was all just very hectic.  anyway, a couple of years into our marriage i had enough credits and pre-req's to transfer to a university.  i briefly considered what colleges i wanted to apply to, but i had always wanted to go to UW since i was a kid.  so that's the only placed i applied.  it was right after my grama passed away and there were some family problems going on, so i was stressed out to the max and nervous about whether or not i would get accepted or not.  also, i was applying to the biology department.  i chose to major in a science even though if i majored in english or history i would have had an easier time because those subjects were always very easy for me, but i wanted to really push and challenge myself.  i wrote a pretty killer entrance essay, if i can say that, but i had a really hard time with it at first.  i wanted to make sure that my essay was really great because i was a little worried about some of my grades on my high school transcript from my senior year not to mention the fact that there are so many people applying.  i had to write about how my culture has shaped me as a person.  my mind was blank.  i kind of felt like i didn't have a very rich cultural history, and i couldn't think of anything to draw from, to inspire me.  i mentioned this to my massage therapist, who is amazing by the way.  she is in her sixties, is native american, has 40 years of experience as a massage therapist, and is incredible.  but she is also kind of like my life therapist, too.  she councils me and guides me through lots of different life stages.  anyway, as i was telling her about my dilemma, she told me i was mistaken.  she said, it's so sad that in these days it's rare that the older generations can pass down their wisdom, experiences, and history to the younger generations.  she said i was just lacking knowledge about history.  then she began to describe to me how rich my culture is.  she talked about how my family's choices have influenced my life, how the freedoms of this country have allowed me to have options and choices.  she went on and i was so inspired.  and then i wrote.  and the words really flowed onto the screen, and i had to cut it down and edit a lot to get it to meet the 1000 word minimum.  and then i had a few friends review it and help me edit it and clean it up.  i was happy with the final essay, but wish i could have kept some of the things in there that i had to lose in order to meet the word count requirement.  i sent off my application and waited.  after several weeks, i was at lunch one day and got a phone call from hubby.  he had come home early for some reason and picked up the mail.  he called to say that something from UW came and asked if he should open it or wait til i got home.  of course i shouted "open it!!!" so he did, and read me the acceptance letter, and i was elated!!!!!!!!!!  unfortunately, i was going to have to quit my job before school started in the fall, i would miss my co-workers, and it was the best job that i'd had in many ways, but i was so excited to just focus on school.  the plan was to finish in 2-ish more years.  i started off the school year a little overzealous, i took 17 credits, which was crazy, and it was hard for me to keep up, specifically because i was taking physics but i did fine, and then the following quarter i took 18 credits, which was also rough, and i was taking physics and organic chemistry, which for me is hard!  anyway, i found my rhythm after a couple quarters and made the dean's list for several quarters.  i got through the first year, struggling through chem and physics. about halfway through that year hubs and i, after much consulting and praying, decided to try to start our family, but we waited until more towards the middle to end of spring quarter just in case it happened quickly.  i got pregnant with z in september, which was the beginning of my second year at UW.  i finished out the year, waddling my way across campus, and of course had z in july,  i decided to take some time off to be with my son until we all felt ready enough for me to go back.  i started with one class in the spring of 2014, and figured out with my adviser that i could finish up the next year.  so, that's what i did, this was the last year, and we all got through it!  i'm the first in my immediate family to get a college degree.  i'm so glad that this was possible, and that i had so much support, especially from hubby, from my friend apryl who watched z when i went back last spring, and my friend minoo who watched z all this year.  and of course, my parents, siblings, and in-laws.  they have all been wonderful.  it's been a challenging, fulfilling, mind expanding experience that was only slight less painful than childbirth.  i love learning new things, exploring new subjects, so this experience was wonderful even through the pain and sometimes tears, haha, not that different from childbirth actually.  i went back and re-read the personal statement essay that i wrote, just to see if it still resonates and whether i completed the goals that i had set for myself.  it is long, but here is the essay:

Staring out across drizzly downtown Seattle from the view of my temporary hospital room, the hum of an infusion machine pumping strong antibiotics into my body in the background, I realized that my overly ambitious decision of working full time and taking two night classes, while in the midst of recovering from lung surgery may have been pushing it.  Feeling exhausted and momentarily defeated, I withdrew from school unable to finish out the quarter, as evidenced by the low grades on my transcript.

A few months earlier, I eagerly decided that I would begin working on my college education.  Not long before starting at community college, I had been diagnosed with an extremely rare lung mycobacterium.  Several months prior to diagnosis, the pulmonologist informed me of the large growth in my right lung.  Countless X-rays and CT scans, three bronchoscopy procedures, a needle biopsy, a partial lobectomy and many uncertain and terrifying months later, the various doctors that had gathered together to unravel my mysterious illness finally concluded that mycobacterium Shimoidei had invaded my body, an uncommon bacterium with which only ten others on record had been infected. 

The doctors lacked a clear idea of how to proceed with a treatment plan and after a great deal of lab research, they settled on a course of five strong antibiotics, administered in pill form and intravenously.  After nearly two years of rehabilitation, my recovery reached a plateau.  Uncertain of what to do next, the team decided to take me off of all medications and monitor my physical condition.  Blessedly, my body healed itself and one year later my lungs appeared clear, finally restored to health.  I came out of this illness with more motivation and inspiration than I had ever experienced.  I felt as though I endured my sickness with positivity, faithfulness and trust, finding in myself courage and patience, steadfastness and tenacity that I had never before demonstrated.  With the support and guidance of my extremely encouraging friends and family, I worked on positioning myself financially and mentally to go back to school, my resolve strong.

Since 2008, I have worked full time during the day and attended classes at night, with the exception of spring quarter 2010 when I left school to spend quality time with my beloved grandmother, who lived out the last months of her life while her body succumbed to pancreatic cancer.  During this time, I decided to pursue a biology degree.  I consider having a career in the sciences highly meritorious, particularly if the results benefit humanity.  I found myself enormously and continuously fascinated with the biological sciences.  The interconnectedness of every organism on this planet right down to the cellular level never ceases to amaze and inspire me.  My passions fall in molecular biology leading me to my intended major, for which I am prepared to enter.  After graduating, I look forward to embarking on a career in the field of biotechnology or medical research that will enable me to apply my comprehension and proficiency learned from the University of Washington such that my work will humbly contribute to the benefit of the world. 

My motivation to attend this university stems from eagerness to make my family proud.  I will be the first in my family to earn a college degree!  By graduating from a prestigious university and participating in a commendable field of work based in the sciences, I, in essence, offer my parents recompense for everything that they have sacrificed and provided for me.  From childhood, I have always tried to surpass my parents’ expectations demonstrable through self-enforced academic pursuits and volunteer projects.  For three years, beginning at the age of 13, I volunteered my time every Saturday afternoon caring for children in the nursery of an organization whose purpose aims to protect and support at-risk children and their families.  Several years ago, excited to volunteer my time within my faith community, I served as a teacher of children’s moral and spiritual education classes.  Then, I set out to work with teenagers in my area providing junior youth empowerment classes, helping adolescents to develop their latent competencies. 

Grateful for the surroundings and loving environment in which I was raised, I appreciate the family that I come from and the country that brought me to maturity.  On account of its convictions, my country has bestowed upon me the right to vote, to work at a job in which I earn equal pay, to enjoy the freedom to choose my religion, my husband, or whether or not I decide to bear children.  Thankful that I am not denied access to a college education based simply on my religion or gender, I consider myself fortunate enough to reap the benefits of the hard work and sacrifice of so many men and women before me.  The pressures associated with working full time and balancing college classes while maintaining symmetry in my family and community obligations are immense.  Owing to this society, I draw inspiration from the countless individuals toiling through labor intensive jobs, overcoming difficulties and persevering no matter the adversity.  This ability to see through tests and hardships and recognize them as opportunities, important moments in life ideal for transformation results directly from the customs of my family. 

My parents and grandparents imbued basic moral and spiritual concepts, principles that manifested into the foundation of my approach to life.  Encouragement to accept those different from me guided my fascination with the history, values and customs of people around the world.  I draw from the knowledge and wisdom intrinsic in other cultures along with my own.  By observing society I have learned that no country is perfect, no culture without injustice, yet I have witnessed the immense compassion and concern of individuals, the strength and resilience of families in crisis and the power and influence of a community standing up for their civil liberties.  From my culture I have inherited struggles, but also liberation and freedom, unknown to many. Thankful for my preceding generations’ role in influencing my life, I look forward to continuing on in my evolution.

I regard the chance to attend the University of Washington invaluable.  Among the numerous reasons, I most admire that the vision of U.W. corresponds significantly with my own ambitions of how I can contribute to humanity.  This school’s belief of embracing diverseness aligns with my own viewpoint that at the fundamental nature of preeminence lays unity in diversity.  Each individual has the potential to contribute uniquely to excellence.  Additionally, I share the principle that students must be globally aware, that it is incumbent for us to channel our energy and intelligence towards noble causes that will lead to productive and beneficial collective transformation.  The notoriously celebrated research centers at U.W. will supply me with the opportunity for intellectual exploration along with the ability to analyze circumstances and to employ my newly acquired knowledge to actual scenarios while concurrently gaining practice and building skills.  Exercising attributes that I developed through the tribulations endured in my life, it is here, at the University of Washington, where I will attain my personal and academic goals, the most important means to mold myself into my most excellent character.

 so, although i changed my major from molecular and cellular biology to general biology, i feel good about how i ended college.  my experience was different than most of the kids there, specifically because i was a wife and mother, and i didn't get to take advantage of the awesome lab and research opportunities and things like studying abroad that i would have loved to do if i was able.  but, that's what happens when you're an old lady going back to school haha.  anyway, i'm sooooooooo glad that i'm done and this was such a great experience.  who knows what lies ahead!!!