The Special Girl
I am NOT supposed to be here! That’s what I kept telling myself the morning of May 13, 2016, the day I graduated from Hinds Community College. Nevertheless, I took a deep breath and prayed I would not trip and fall while walking across the stage to receive the first of many degrees to come. Later that day, as I reflected on this small yet huge feat, I realized that in all actuality, I was supposed to be there.
I shall start this narrative from the beginning, when I was a child being bumped around within the foster care system, which in and of itself comes along with its own issues. In elementary and junior high school I was always placed in a special needs classroom. So yes, that was me, the kid from up the street who got on and off the short, yellow bus. I did manage to spend my freshman year in a regular high school, but eventually I ended up in an alternative high school until I graduated (but not before constant struggles with Math……I just couldn’t get). Throughout that time, I struggled with a few behavior and learning issues. And looking back, I really didn’t think I had any chance (of any kind) to go to college. In fact, I don’t even remember ever thinking about college around that time. But little did I know, God was creating something in me.
Around the age of 20 I was living in a shelter and trying to get on my feet. I had a job, had money in the bank, and eventually secured my very first apartment. But, three months later I got the call that would change EVERYTHING. It was on that phone call I learned that I had been hired for a job at Harry S Truman College in Chicago, working with students with disabilities, and it was there that I was encouraged to enroll in college. The very suggestion always made me very nervous because I hadn’t been in school in a while and felt that I would not succeed. But with support from my boss, my advisors, my professors and my church, I took a leap of faith and enrolled. My first semester was bust (LOL), which ended with a 1.9 GPA. This was a blow to my self-esteem, but because God made me a fighter I kept at it and my GPA climbed to 2.3. Slowly but surely I learned how to learn. And just when I thought that I had reached my potential, God surprised me yet again.
In 2014 I felt stuck again, stagnated in my current situation at the time. I had lost my apartment and my car, and I was questioning my employment and my life. That’s when I did the unthinkable! I applied to Hinds Community College after talking to one of my professors about my struggles and my desires. So after I had received word that I had been accepted, I packed my life in four suitcases and relocated to Mississippi. Finally, I had a clean slate. I could start my life all over once again. By the end of my first semester I had earned a 3.5 GPA. I could not believe it. Hinds allowed me to tap into something I thought I didn’t have —academic intelligence. And things were going great until I had to face the Big Bad Wolf called Mathematics again. Needless to say, I had to take Intermediate Algebra five times before passing the class. And though I did finally pass the class, each time I took it I felt stupid and dumb. But one day I got REAL with myself and reached out to tutors, my mentors and other support systems for help. I also recall running to my mentor’s office when I started passing my Math tests to celebrate my accomplishments. Yes, it took five times, but I finally passed Math with a B. I was then able to enter into my last semester at Hinds, taking my last College Algebra class. And for the first time in my life I had passed a Math class on my first try. I was FINALLY able to graduate. Lena Yvonne Dixon, the girl from special education, graduated Cum Laude, an Honors Scholar and member of two honor societies. I was also leaving Hinds having left a mark of being involved in almost every organization on campus. I achieved a college resume that could rival the best student on any college campus in the US. Upon graduating, I was awarded many scholarships to many universities, finally deciding to attend Alcorn State University.
Currently I am a junior at Alcorn and I am steeped into my major —social work. I am very active in many organizations, and I serve on some executive boards. This March I will be presented with a certificate for achieving the President’s List after earning a 4.0 semester GPA. Me, the formerly homeless girl who earned a 1.9 GPA her first semester in college. God is incredible! For anyone reading this who feels discouraged or unworthy, I want you to know that you too can overcome all obstacles. You can do it! After all, this VERY SPECIAL girl did.