Approximately seven months ago, I made the brave decision to register in the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP). In brief, this program recognizes and gives value and accreditation to individuals’ real-life skills and experience through their employment. In addition, ETEEAP gives those individuals a chance to earn a college degree, presumably opening up chances for broader career paths and employment promotion opportunities.
When I enrolled in the program, I did not know what to expect. A college degree seemed like something that was out of reach for me, but I ultimately decided to give it my best shot. I knew I wanted to get a college education through hard work and determination, even if it meant overcoming the inevitable obstacles and challenges that came my way.
As with countless other students here and around the world, the coronavirus pandemic greatly affected my studies. Health and safety restrictions forced my classes to be held online rather than in person. This posed a challenge in itself, mainly because I had never done online learning. This made the prospects of this program even more daunting. Of course, this is in addition to my nerves about the program expectations, the volume of assignments and academic work output.
Fortunately, my nerves subsided, and the program seemed much less daunting after the first few weeks. I am genuinely enjoying every moment in the program and am doing my best to treasure these experiences. I am grateful for the instructors, all of whom have been welcoming and very approachable. Whenever I needed some assistance, I knew I could seek their help to get me back on the right track. Similarly, my classmates were a constant source of support. We could bounce ideas off each other and motivate each other to do our personal best and achieve our goals.
Now that I am nearing the end of the program, it is kind of hard to imagine how much things have changed these past seven months. At the start, I was nervous and overwhelmed, but now I am so grateful for this opportunity and experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed every step of the program, and it feels like we have become a family because of how much everyone supports each other.
It truly is bittersweet realizing that my graduation date is fast approaching. I will miss this program and the people involved in it. However, on the other hand, I am excited about the prospect of finally graduating and completing this degree. As a result of this program, I have formed a strong peer group that will last beyond this program and developed a renewed sense of self-confidence, perseverance, and determination. With this in hand, I am excited about the future and moving on to the bigger things that await.
