Tristan Mage

I, Tristan Mage, got off to a rocky start my first semester at North Central Texas College (NCTC) as my Uncle Joe had come to live out his final 3 months of life with my parents and me. Uncle Joe was my mother's only sibling and she is disabled and needed me to step up and assist her and my father with daily caregiving and medical caregiving while Uncle Joe lost his battle with cancer. It was impossible to keep up with my classes and in hindsight, I should've waited until the Spring semester to start or at the very least, withdrawn from my classes. However, I was naive about how that process worked and it was too late when I finally found the time to figure it out. I guess I also kept thinking somehow the pressures of my daily life at that time would miraculously get better and I would pull my grades up. I have been an honor roll student since my first day of kindergarten and was in a physical and mental time of uncertainty with forces out of my control. However, that first dismal semester only strengthened my resolve and I came back determined to turn my college career around and retook those classes in which I ended up with a 4.0 GPA from straight A's as my aptitude as a student revealed itself. From there on I have maintained stellar grades. I even had the foresight to withdraw from the Spanish 1 online course as I have determined I would learn this subject better and make a better grade by taking the course on campus. I have come a long way since that trying time of my first semester, yet I don't regret the choices I have made as they have made me a better student with determination for success. I also don't regret giving up 3 months of my life to care for my dying Uncle as it brought us closer, my family closer and I learned empathy, kindness, and life lessons that cannot be learned from a book but only through its experience. In conclusion, I'm fortunate and humbled as a person and a student today from these events of my life.