I'm the _______ student.

In the video “Focusing the Lasers,”  there are six different types of community college students: Visitors, wanderers, explorers, seekers, dreamers, and lasers. Today, I am a laser, but it doesn’t mean that I was never anything else. A student who is considered a “laser” knows what they want in their life and has lots of determination to keep pushing. I wasn’t always a laser because I had to go through all these different types in order for me to become who I am today.

I considered myself as a visitor at Chabot at one point because I, like the other visitors in the video, have had some kind of experience at Chabot. It might be that we knew someone that went there, we’ve been there, or that it’s the college nearby. For me, it’s all of the above. I had a few family members that went to Chabot and became successful in their career. I didn’t know my mom went to Chabot until I attended it. I’ve been to Chabot quite often for band concerts from middle school to high school. I knew the place and it wasn’t a place I was afraid of. It was too familiar. I chose to go to Chabot because it was nearby and I knew I’d save money going there instead of going to a 4-year right away.

Once I attended Chabot, I became a wanderer. I jumped from major to major and took classes I didn’t know I didn’t need. I had no clear understanding of how the GE classes worked and what I needed to do in order to move on to the next level. I was going to college because in my mind, I knew I had to in order to have a future that my parents wanted for me. I almost felt like a robot because I would wake up in the morning to go to school and be clueless about why I’m taking certain classes.

Because I took classes that interested me, I became an explorer. I was taking classes because I curious about what exactly my interests were. I found out that math is not my forte, so I tried to finish it as soon as possible. I even went too far in math thinking I was going to pursue a major that needed a high math class. Then I realized I was doing that major because of the pressure from everything around me. That pressure was holding me back from doing what interested me and what made me happy. I started to do bad in some classes.

When I figured out what I wanted to do, I started to get a feel of what college was like. I started asking people for help or started figuring how the college system worked. That’s when I became a seeker. I began taking the correct classes needed in order to graduate or transfer. The more I learned about college, the more I learned about myself and what I wanted. However, I still wasn’t sure how exactly to get where I wanted. I became a dreamer. I was changing from major to major and that was my major problem, literally. Not knowing what to do next was difficult for me, but that didn’t stop me from going onto the next step in my educational life.

I became a laser when I found my passion. I knew that being a nurse, a dentist, or anything my parents wanted me to become was not really for me. I knew I wanted to work with children. I went through a lot of counselors for my major just to make sure I was on the right path. They all would give me different information, so that when I went on my own. I decided to contact the schools I want to transfer to myself instead of relying on the counselors. I was not going to let a counselor stop me from achieving my dreams. Some counselors tell their students that they can’t do something, but anything is possible if there’s enough will power, motivation, and support in their decision.

I wouldn't change my past because it's what shaped my future.