Approved!

Hey blog family!

I am very pleased to report that, after much shameless groveling, the decision to suspend my financial aid has been reversed! I found out Thursday but this is the first chance I've had to blog about it. In the past few weeks I've been staying prayed up, and trying to be as positive as possible. But at the same time, realize that there was a very big chance I would be kissing my alma mater goodbye. I had come to the conclusion that, if I didn't get the money back, I would just take the semester off, apply to a different school, and attend in the spring. There would be no point in racking up $10,000 for one semester that I wouldn't even be able to pay back. Thank God it never came to that.

But anyway, as I said in my previous post, I knew that how ever things turned out, I'd have a testimony. And that I was sure to have gone through my delimma for a reason. After coming out of the situation victorious, I've learned some very important lessons.

First and foremost, I realized just how incredibly important my education is to me. I've always loved to learn, but I can definitely say that I began to take it for granted. I'd let all the stress of college overshadow the fact that I'm incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to get an education at such an esteemed university. Faced with the possibility of not being able to go back refreshened my perspective, and made me appreciate the opportunities laid before me.

In the same vain, I also learned how passionate I am about what I'm studying. For those who don't know, I am an Art History major. I'm working towards my doctorate in the hopes of becoming a museum curator or art director of a small gallery. It took me a while to figure out what career I wanted to pursue, but I finally came to the conclusion that curation best suit me. It's a career that's research and writing intensive, which I love, and I'd have the opportunity to work with artists. Anyway, this is the first semester that I'll be able to tackle my major courses and I'm ecstatic. The prospect of not having the chance to study art history was what broke my heart the most. The fact that I was so disappointed by the thought is what reaffirmed for me, that this is my career path.

Most importantly, I realized how frivolous my past two years have been. I'm a Junior in college and I don't have much to show for it. I have a decent GPA, but aside from that, my college years thus far have been punctuated by a bunch of childish nonsense. I've let things that weren't important effect my ability to be all that I could be, both personally and academically. I think more than anything else, this past month of waiting for a verdict has really lit a fire inside of me. It's made me want to WORK. I mean really work diligently for what I want in life, whatever it may be. Funnily enough, the way it has manifested itself as I awaited their decision is that I've been working out like a mad woman. In about a month I've lost 15lbs. Yay me! lol:)

Anyway, I'm just excited for another chance. My focus and enthusiasm is at a place its never been in my college career, and I'm ready for this semester. I'm still on probation, and if I don't finish the semester with at least a 2.0, I'm out. My GPA is waaaaaaay above 2.0, so I'm going to set a goal for myself of a 3.5 or higher. I know the type of student I'm capable of being. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to get in the way of what I need to do for myself.

I've got loads more to write about, but I'm going to end this post here and pick up tomorrow. Today I went to the Black Girl Long Hair Blog Meet-Up, but I'll save that for another post. And yes, my computer is still busted. But luckily, I'm buying a new one this week, so I'll be back to blogging soon. I promise.

In the meantime, I hope all of you have been great. Thank you all for your support, and kind words. It helps to know that friends have your back when your dealing with tough times :).

xo,
bloggal

ps

Please excuse the typos (I know there's probably a ton) and how scattered this was. I'm in a bit of a rush and can't go back and edit.