11/05/2022
Let me introduce myself to you!
Thought you may want to get to know me a little better. I may have been where you are right now in life. My name is Lynda Arnold; being an academic advisor for over 17 years. However, I did not start off being an advisor. It took me many years to get where I am today.
So, let us go back to when I graduated from high school (1984). My parents wanted me to go to college. That was a fact, they would say, “You’re going to college. We want you to do better in life than us.” However, they could neither would not or could not pay for me to attend. I in turn had to “prove” myself to them. Because when I was in high school, I was that student that did not do her homework. So, when did I do my homework, you ask?
When I was in another class or at lunch. The reason was because I did not want to do any work when I was home. I was an average student. I did not apply myself. School was boring and not interesting. It was just a place to hang out with my friends and date. I did not apply myself, there seemed like there was no incentive to apply.
My high school counselor believed that I was not college material. Well, I did not even get to know my counselor. In fact, I only met her once when I found out that a PE class to meet the requirements. Hmmm, does that should familiar?
Once I graduated from high school, I went straight into college. However, the college I attended was a community college. My parents wanted me to prove to them that I was going to take it seriously. But I was still home and wanted to learn who I was. I wanted a little more freedom. However, my parents did not want me to have that freedom or it seemed that way.
Then life happened. I met at guy at community college. Got married had children. One time when I was pregnant, I was on bedrest, per my doctor. However, back in the 1980s students had to go in person to drop classes; not like today when students drop the online. We got a letter from my doctor, a letter from me asking to drop a course, my drivers license, my school ID. My husband at that time took it to the college and presented them with all the documentation. What did they do?
My husband was told, “she has to come in person to drop the courses.” I failed those courses, I later attempted to dispute those grades. Again, had to go to my doctor and asked for a letter stating what happened. Either the school or I dropped the ball. No one was to blame; but both are to blame. The grades stayed on my transcript.
Years later, many years later, I attempted to go back to that college stop; go and stop. Kids were older, they could stay at home for a couple of hours by themselves. I started that path again. Long story short – I graduated with my Associates of Arts degree, in 2007; my Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations, in 2009; my Master of Science in Sustainability, in 2011 and a Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising, in 2013.
There have been many challenges, things have gotten in my way. But I hope that if you took one thing from this is that you can too. There are people out there that want you to succeed, you just need someone in your corner. It does not matter where you came from, I do not care if you graduated high school or not – you can get a degree! You may not know where or how to start. That is where I can help and come into the picture.
Let me say you can because I did. I am not your average academic advisor. Maybe you even thought that college was not or even is not for you. I am here to tell you it is closer than you think. You just need someone in your corner. Someone to talk to listen; however, not on the side of the college.
Someone who is independent of the college. Someone that believes in you!
If you do not believe in yourself currently; we can work through it together. If you want real talk, I tell it like it is. If something comes up unexpectedly, reach out that is why I am here. Let us go through this together.
