On average, a person's college experience is good, if not one of the best times in a person's life. Mine was much different though. By my fourth semester, my grades had slipped. I couldn't figure out the reason. I met often with professors to determine different approaches in learning the material, but nothing seemed to work. It seemed like the more I studied, the more confused I became. I didn't make much of it because, honestly, I just thought that it was supposed to be as hard as it was. I also assumed that maybe I didn't have the mental fortitude to compete with my classmates.
In April of that year, my wife woke me up early one morning in a fit of surprise to tell me that we would be having our first child. By that point, my grades had fallen well below a point that accurately reflected my true talent. Declining grades, combined with preparations for the baby and the stress of not fulfilling the duties that society likes to deem specific to your gender, ultimately led to a catastrophic breakdown of my sense of self.
My GPA, along with my expectations, had sunk well below any point that would allow me to realize my dream of partaking and excelling in any recognizable graduate program. My dream to be the provider for my family had been slammed to the ground and crushed. I felt like a failure.
I scheduled an appointment with a professional, who finally shined light on what was affecting my grades. Although, somehow, I managed to deal with it my entire life, neither my parents nor I noticed that I had a variety of disabilities. In addition to that, I faced other issues that effected my motivation — or what others perceived as my motivation.
So, all in all, these past five years are not accurately captured by my GPA.
I learned just because God's existence has yet to be proven, does not mean God doesn't exist. I also learned that the evidence for God's existence is more inconclusive than what some might want to believe. I also learned the ontological, teleological and cosmological arguments for God's existence. I learned that I have the ability to write a book.
I learned that most modern U.S. history classes cover the same general story. After nine semester hours on different parts of the modern era in the U.S., I still don't have any type of in-depth knowledge about what was going on over on the conservative side.
I learned that computers don't last forever and they can break during finals. I learned to love writing. Perhaps most shocking, I learned that evolution has very little to do with the existence or non-existence of God. I also learned that creationism is not as much a scientific argument as it is an exegetical argument.
I learned that it is okay to be an evangelical Christian as long as you earn your respect by providing well thought out and logical answers. I also learned that many, very intelligent people, couldn't care less to debate God's existence. A special thanks goes out to The Miami Student's Anna Turner because I learned from her that if I ever wanted to cause a stir, I need only to write an op-ed article about basic sidewalk etiquette — or the lack thereof – making certain that I use the word "prego" and "uggo" in two consecutive sentences.
I was absolutely blessed to go to such a great school, especially coming from such a poor area. Graduating from Miami is something that I am very proud about. Being the first in my family to graduate with a four-year degree is something of which I am also proud. I thank my wife and little girl, along with any future children. I truly thank everyone at Miami, the students, faculty and staff, for your work and willingness to put forth what is demanded to make this school such a success, thank you … now, where's that sidewalk chalk, I got a protest to go to.
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