Graduation

In a few short days I will be graduating. It is a major milestone for me personally because I never thought this day would come. It marks that changing of seasons for me, where I will no longer be an undergrad student, but a graduate student. My dreams of getting a Ph.D are that much closer and I can't wait.

Having a degree, for me, shows resiliency and the ability to adapt around what is most important to me. As an older student, I feel that I didn't waste my 20's and 30's, but gained so much useful life skills that I know exactly what I want to do with my life and career now. I am not throwing money away, but investing strategically in the area's of my greatest interest and calling.

Every fire that I have walked through has built a stronger foundation for my future goals. I have been able to get my entire education debt free. I have paid cash, on time, in full for every semester. This includes already having all the funds for my entire masters program that begins later this month. I feel like I have been able to pave the way for others to understand that a good private higher education is possible without losing your shirt, but there are strategies that I was uniquely qualified with, like not being a traditional young student.

Another strategy is wisely applying for scholarships. I received many scholarships for being a non-traditional student, but I received many more for being a good student. Since I am older, paying my own way, and value every second of instruction-life skills I learned from being an extremely involved homeschooling parent for the last 13 years-I have been able to achieve a 4.0 GPA. This alone has opened numerous doors, and I had my pick of graduate schools, which allowed me to really find the program that best fit my educational goals as well as my budget. I am also a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success, which also offers scholarships, looks great on applications and resumes and is only open to students with a 3.6 GPA or higher.

I was able to utilize numerous grants-remember grants do not have to be paid back. Simply by being an independent student with a limited income, allowed for me to get the maximum amount of benefits. I also saved money like crazy! Any extra income I had above and beyond our needs was put into savings so I could continue to pursue the highest goal, not the immediate gratification.

Most of all, I prayed. God is ultimately the supplier of all our needs, wants and desires. I have spent hours on my knees asking for miracles and provision, and God has provided in ways that only He can. I am so thankful for this, it feels like I have been given the green light to pursue not only what makes me holy, but also what makes me happy. While I still wait patiently for God to restore all that was taken from me, I know that He is working because I see it in all the little ways He keeps showing up.

So yes, graduation for me means so much more then just completing a degree. I have grown and thrived in adversity. I have been a good steward of my gifts, calling, talents, and resources. I have learned to refute the lies, with truth! I can even recognize that God is allowing me to get the paperwork credentials because it is what I think I need to be qualified, but that I am already fully qualified for the calling on my life, right now.

So later this week, I will walk across a stage and be handed a Bachelors of Science degree in Applied Psychology, summa cum laude, from Biola University. Completing another leg of my journey.

My next steps will be getting my M.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University in preparation for my Ph.D. in Psychology. This is so I can work at the university level, writing, teaching and researching aspects of a Christian integrative approach to Positive Psychology with an emphasis in grief, trauma, and suicide prevention.