Michelle Ferrer
I've always had the ambition and academic ability to attain a degree, but these attributes are useless without the financial means to attain the required education. Growing up the oldest of three children in a single parent home, I did not believe there was any possibility of me being able to afford to attend college, and by my junior year of high school, had all but given up on this dream. Fortunately I had a teacher that saw some potential in me and pulled me aside to discuss the benefits of joining the military. Having served both in the active duty Army and as a member of the National Guard, he was able to give me some valuable insight into what the military had to offer, and by the summer of my junior year of high school I was attending Army basic training.
My initial motivation for joining the military was primarily to be able to pay for college, but once I was enlisted, my whole perspective on being a part of the military changed. I did not have any close relatives that served in the armed forces prior to me joining, so I had no idea how much my service and the military culture would change my values and my outlook on everything around me. I did not realize that enlisting meant being adopted into a second family, or that the military could instill such discipline and confidence in me that I would be able to strive to attain any goal without doubting my abilities. The extent to which my training had increased my confidence in my abilities was not really apparent to me until I was deployed. Had someone told me prior to my enlistment the situations I would be faced with and called on to respond to, I would not have believed I was capable of reacting under such stress. However, while deployed, I found myself reacting to stressful situations without hesitation. These experiences opened my eyes to the individual potential that can be realized with some good strong self discipline and self confidence.
The military did help afford me the financial means to obtain a bachelors degree in psychology, but I also feel that the military played a large role my achievements as an undergraduate student. My experience in the military gave me the fortitude needed to become a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, make the Dean's or President's Honor Roll each semester, and graduate Magna Cum Laude. Looking around at my fellow students, nine times out of ten, I could accurately point out which ones had a military background based on their discipline and endeavor for excellence. Joining the military is one of the best things I have done for my future, and I would not hesitate to recommend joining to anyone who is up for the challenge. Even despite the ups and downs that come with being sent to fight a war, every experience I have had has helped me grow as a person.
I plan to continue with my education and start a master's degree program in psychology in the fall. My dream is to be able to provide counseling services to fellow veterans, which is a service the military has historically been deficient in providing to service members. However, with tuition costs increasing about seven percent each year, and with the responsibility of having a family to provide for now, the price of getting a masters degree is a greater obstacle than it was for a bachelors degree. I am currently working full time for the Kansas National Guard, which provides me with a decent income. I enjoy my job working as the State Prevention, Treatment and Response Coordinator, and I do get to provide people with some of the services I would be able to working as a mental health counselor, but the amount of assistance I can provide is very limited. By attending graduate school I will be able to provide service members with a larger realm of mental health support in the private sector. However, in order to complete the require courses for my masters degree, I will not be able to continue working in my current position. Some of the courses are three to four hours long for one meeting and I must take nine credit hours in order to remain enrolled in the program. This does not leave time to work a full time position and care for a baby as well. I will receive tuition assistance through the there will be next to nothing left of my GI bill to pay for groceries, diapers, etc. Because I have worked full time for the National Guard since receiving my BA, my application for Federal Financial Aid shows that we make too much money to qualify for aid, but this does not take into consideration that once I start my graduate program I will no longer have this income, but will still need to support my family. It is my dream to work in mental health, but without some financial assistance in addition to my GI bill stipend, attending graduate school will not be a possibility. This is why I will need to rely heavily on scholarships to make ends meet. I am prepared to face the financial struggles, the long hours of studying, the necessity to spend any free time I have working a part time job, and sacrificing quality time with my family in order to realize my dream of giving back to the service that has given me so much. I know that, just as my previous service in the military has shown me, my hard work and sacrifice will build a brighter future for myself and my family.
