Six Years Later: A Journey Worth Finishing

Six years.

That’s how long it took for me to graduate.

There’s nothing wrong with that, and looking back, I never thought I would be graduating from college at almost 27-years old. Being an older, non-traditional student is OK. My dad never finished college, and my sister dropped out as well. My mom got her Bachelor’s degree, but never used it. My aunt dropped out of college and went back to college at 30.

I started going to Hutchinson Community College in Jan. 2020, and of course, the pandemic started in March.

That meant lockdown and classes online. I was about 20-years old at the time. The pandemic did a number on a lot of things. College isn’t easy, especially during the pandemic. Looking back, I never thought I would complete high school, and neither did my parents. People shouldn’t let outside opinions cause them to give up. The typical age to start college is 18 or 19, and at that age, I thought of it some, but not much. Some people don’t always start college until later in life, and that’s OK.

I worked different jobs until I was 20, and had no idea what I wanted to do in life. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what you want to do in life, and that’s a lot of pressure sometimes. When I wanted to start college, my family discouraged me. Some people do well in college, while others just work and never go to college. Despite my family, I went ahead with it anyway. In 2020, I attended classes at the HutchCC McPherson campus, and then transferred to the main campus in 2021.

Finding the student newspaper, The Hutchinson Collegian, and joining changed things. I switched my major from English to journalism, and then writing sparked something in me. Being in a club and people doing what they love is important. I’ve always loved reading and writing as well. Then I decided to move to the dorms in the Fall semester of 2021. That was a mistake, and it didn’t work out.

Since I was 21, I didn’t fit in well with the younger students and didn’t get along with either of my roommates. Not everyone fits the cookie-cutter mold. It’s OK to get discouraged.

Because of that and other things, I dropped out of college in 2021.

Dropping out of college may be the end for some people. Some people get discouraged, give up, and never go back. It was a hard time for me, and I thought I might go back eventually.

I thought I would never graduate from college, and yet graduation is one month away.

Despite all that life threw at me, I did it. It’s a sense of accomplishment, and I can’t wait to walk across that stage. Keep pressing on, no matter what life throws at you.

Bottom line: don’t give up.

Sarah Newberry is a McPherson sophomore studying journalism. You can contact her on Instagram at luv2dance43

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