Graduate Essays - Kori Stoll: Keep going, because it's worth it in the end

My name is Kori Stoll. I am 38 years old. I graduated high school in 2000, then started at ECC right away. I took a summer class to get my feet wet and started part-time in the fall. Then, I had a medical situation that forced me to take a break. When I was deciding what to do after I recovered, the idea of coming back to school made me nervous because I was afraid that it would take me a long time to finish. When I actually looked at my plan, I realized that I was halfway there, and I thought to myself, “I can do this; this is feasible,” and that helped me push through.

The other thing contributing to the long road was deciding exactly what I wanted to study. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, but I had a hard time deciding what level I wanted to teach at. I initially thought that I wanted to be a preschool teacher, but then, after working as an assistant teacher with preschool kids, I realized that wasn’t for me.

Oprah Winfrey once said: “Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.”

During the Introduction to Education course at ECC, I finally realized what I wanted. The class required me to complete 15 hours of observation: five hours in elementary school, five hours in middle school, and five hours in high school. It was so helpful that I decided that I wanted to teach middle school. I will be transferring to get my Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education.

Fellow graduates and everyone watching right now, I will leave you with this: even if the thing you want is taking you a long time to get, keep going because it’s worth it in the end.

– Kori Stoll, Elgin
   Associate in Arts