First off, I hope everyone had a great holiday.

Now that it is time for school again, it means it is time for me to get back to work. Last semester I really didn’t know what to expect, so I treated it like it was still high school. That was a bad move and by the time I realized that it wasn’t going to work that way it was too late for me to change my ways.

So as a new semester begins, it is a whole new beginning for me. I switched my major to Sociology with a minor in Psychology (and History) and I have pledged to get serious about my studies.

Being the first in my family to attend college is very important to me. I want to be able to succeed.

Do I plan on destroying my social life? Not at all. I plan on learning something I have never had before… Time Management.

Although it is cliché, I know I can do anything I set my mind to. I have survived 2 days of the new semester and so far, all is well. I hope this is one New Year’s Resolution that I can keep.

Now as a message to my readers.. I want you to (if you haven’t already done so) think of the year ahead. What is in store for you? Are you prepared for it? If not what can you do to make yourself ready? This new year will be coming at us full speed and many challenges are ahead. Make sure you are ready. If you are, then you will conquer all.

Glancing at the familiar faces in the dining hall, a peaceful emotion settled in my heart.  This was becoming my home, and I was okay with that.  More than okay really…I was thankful to be here.  Each day, realization hits me that I am in college, successfully participating.  For weeks, the idea of being the first in my family to attend college terrified me.  What if I was not as smart as everyone thought?  What if my writing made the literature teacher cringe, and what if I was unable to find derivatives in calculus?  I remember panicking during move-in day.  Stepping on the campus seemed surreal.  I felt that at any second, someone would tap me on my shoulder and tell me that I was in the wrong place, confirming my deepest fear.  However, this never happened, and soon, I was zipping from place to place, collecting keys, finding my room, and moving belongings into the dorm.  On the down side, the room was covered in ants, a persistent pest problem that still wakes me up every so often.  But on the plus side, my roommate was great, and our easy-going sarcasm broke the ice in minutes.  Hours later, with clothes neatly arranged in the closet and posters adorning every conceivable inch, our dorm looked more like home rather than four white walls and a ceiling.  Every day since has been filled with a new adventure, even if it’s as simple as waking up and heading to Advanced Problem Solving-my only class on Fridays.  I am growing confident that my college experience will help mold my influence within society.  After starting school this year, I believe that you mustn’t fear that you are unready for the impact of college, but instead, believe that college is not ready for what you’re destined to achieve!

Welcome to Center for Student Opportunity’s new Opportunity Scholars Blog!

We’ve found 10 dynamic students who beat the odds to become the first in their family to attend college. They will be using this blog to diary their college experiences–the good and the bad–and to offer advice to college-bound students like them on preparing for college.

Follow these students closely because they are truly role models from whom we can all learn.

You too can become an Opportunity Scholar by completing a ConnectNow profile on CSO College Center and using the website to research and connect with colleges active in the recruitment of first-generation, low-income, and minority students. At the end of your senior year, Opportunity Scholars have a chance to apply for CSO’s $1,000 Opportunity Scholarship and become one of our future bloggers.

Best of luck on your journey to college!