Winsett Narrative Final Version Essay 1

Michelle Winsett
Prof. Lahmon
English Composition I
31 January 2020
40 Is The New 20, Right?

Starting a college education as an adult has not been easy. Trying to balance a
full-time job and single parenthood, along with being a full time student, is going to
require a certain set of skills that I can only hope that I have. I know that I am not the
only adult that has decided to go back to school later in life, but each person’s
educational experience is different.
In high school, I was the somewhat quiet girl. I had my own little group of friends
and we stuck to our own. I was not the most academic person, but did just enough to
pass. To put it best, I was a mediocre student. To me, high school was place for
socializing, not learning. No ambition, no career goals; my only goal was to graduate so
I could be done with school and never go back.
When you are a teenager, you think that your life is hard. You go to school, come
home, do homework and then go to a job, if you have one, wake up and do it again. In
my case, there was not a whole lot of homework being done. I did have a couple of jobs
that kept me busy, but schoolwork was not my top priority. It isn’t until you become an
adult and start paying your own bills that you realize that you had it easy in high school,
and life as an adult is much harder.
After high school, I continued to work dead end jobs until I got my first “real” job. I
was hired as an admin for a maintenance company at the local military base. My first
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grown-up, full-time job. I also got married that year. My life seemed to be going in a
positive direction and things were falling in to place. About a year after we were married,
we found out we were going to have a baby girl. We were completely unprepared, but
somewhat excited at the same time. By the time I was due to have her, we were ready
and excited. Then, the unthinkable happened. As a result of unforeseen complications,
she died. At 23 years old, I found myself burying my infant daughter, who we named
Kira Raelyn. My world fell apart and I fell into a depression. Just going through the
motions of life was a struggle. I had never been a depressed person, and had no idea at
the time, that what I was feeling was depression, along with the excruciating grief that
comes along with a loss of this magnitude.
The desire to be a parent and the hole that was in my heart would not begin to be
healed until a year and a half later with the birth of our son, Tyler Matthew. Terrified that
he would succumb to the same fate as my daughter, I was scared throughout my entire
pregnancy. To much delight of my entire family, he was born without complications and
was perfectly healthy. He gave me a purpose and reason to breathe again.
My husband and I divorced when my son was a little over a year old. Five years
later, I remarried and my dream of having a little girl was finally realized. The birth of my
daughter, Kaitlyn Rae, made my life content. She came about 3 weeks early and gave
us a bit of a scare, but she was born without any further complications. She was perfect
and beautiful, I was as happy as I thought I could be. My son and my daughter were
more than I could have ever hoped for. Unfortunately, my second marriage did not last
and we divorced before my daughter was two years old. I found myself starting over
again.
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The tragedies in my life had me in a very dark place. I had no ambition to go any
further with my education. However, after being turned down for jobs that I was capable
of doing, and being badgered by a very dear co-worker, I decided to continue my
education at the ripe old age of 40. Now, with a full-time job, two children, and trying to
be a full-time student, I find myself a little excited about the challenge. Maintaining the
balance of the responsibility that comes along with parenthood, and managing a full
course load is tough. It is requiring me to tap into organizational skills and use parts of
my brain that have long since been dormant. I no longer want to be the mediocre
student. My goals for my education now are trying to be the best student that I can be
and put forth my best effort in all I do. It may be hard and exhausting, but in the long
run, it’ll be what is best for myself and my children. I want to be able to provide us with
the life I believe we deserve, and give my kids a reason to be proud of their mother.

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Michelle Winsett

40 Is The New 20, Right?

educational experience is different.

I could be done with school and never go back.

and life as an adult is much harder.

and excited. Then, the unthinkable happened. As a result of unforeseen complications,

comes along with a loss of this magnitude.

was perfectly healthy. He gave me a purpose and reason to breathe again.

of doing, and being badgered by a very dear co-worker, I decided to continue my

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