Diamond Jubilee Celebration - Speeches
Chenelle Marshall - Georgia State University student
“Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shut you in and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding line, and no way of knowing how near the harbor was.” A quote from Helen Keller
After graduating from high school, I attempted college twice but dropped out after the first semester. While my mother and grandfather were trying to instill in me the importance of education, I spent that time trying to convince them that college was not for me.
But then I started seeing my peers doing things that I wanted to do…things I knew I could do…positions I knew I had the skills for, but one thing was missing…a college degree.
At that point I had made up my mind. I was going back to school to finish this time…because I was tired. Tired of settling, and I wanted more out of life.
So I applied to Atlanta Metropolitan College. But even then I came across another problem…money. How was I going to pay for school?
Well as they say it takes a village to raise a family. My coworkers, family and friends helped me pay for my books, my fees, and my tuition, which made it possible for me to attend Atlanta Metropolitan College. That was one of the happiest moments in my life, because this time I wanted to go back to school for me. Not my mother, not my father, not for my grandfather, but for me.
Now my freshmen and sophomore years were not easy. But thanks to my professors, especially Dr. Virginia Williams, my advisors, specifically Mrs. Iris Shanklin, and Tonya Lam from the Board of Regents, I made it through. They continued to believe in me when I didn’t believe in myself. They challenged me for the better and gave me the encouragement I needed. They saw something in me that I didn’t.
With the encouragement and help of so many individuals working in the University System, I am proud to say that I graduated from Atlanta Metropolitan College with honors in May of this year, started receiving the Hope Scholarship, and I am currently a junior at Georgia State University.
So many doors have opened since I started going back to school and many opportunities have become available. So, to my peers and fellow students: I encourage you to keep persevering and don’t give up because you can do it! To all those who work in public higher education and who support the University System: because of each and every one of you, we as students are able to make it. Because of the knowledge we are gaining through higher education, we become more equipped with the necessary skills and tools to make the right decisions.
Even though it hasn’t been easy and the challenges seem to be never ending at the end of each day, when I reflect I have no regrets because my education is something that no one can take away from me.