Graduate Essays - Larissa Scott: ECC challenged me to strive for excellence and put my best foot forward

I started my Journey at ECC in the fall of 2019. I took a different route after I graduated high school in 2010 and decided to join the military. I served in the Navy throughout my early twenties and got married. However, when starting my journey at ECC, I was in transition mode to single parenthood, co-parenting, and being a full-time college student.

After going through many life changes and unknowns, I knew one thing was certain: I would set a goal for myself and get my first degree. My son, who was 14 months old at that time, was enrolled in ECC’s Early Childhood Lab School. This allowed me to sit in class with hands-on teaching and utilize the tutoring services and the library for quiet studies.

ECC has challenged me to strive for excellence and put my best foot forward. As I sat in my classes, I quickly noticed how my professors always went above and beyond to make classes fun and genuinely cared about their students academically and personally. They taught me to think outside everything I thought I knew and look at things from a broader perspective.

I am happy to say I am not leaving ECC the same way I entered. I am more driven and embrace challenges head-on instead of running in the opposite direction. I know that the possibilities are endless, and ECC has greatly impacted my life, and I hope to carry on to others I may encounter on this next journey.

I finish my journey at ECC as an Honors graduate, part of Phi Theta Kappa, with a basic vocational specialist certificate in dental office aide and an associate of arts. I leave ECC with immense gratitude to my professors, the staff, and those I have met along the way. Thank you for making this experience a part of my life that I will always carry as a stepping stone and a leap toward my next nursing goal.

Larissa Scott, Aurora
Associate in Arts
Basic Vocational Certificate - Dental Office Aide