When I left for college in 1982, all I had were some Hefty bags filled with my possessions, an antique typewriter from my grandmother, and a feeling of excitement and terror in my gut. What I didn’t know then was that I really was going to the moon.
Where I came from, people rarely went to college. It was considered out of reach, and pretty ostentatious for anyone who believed otherwise, when I think of it in retrospect. My parents didn’t go to college, my dad was dyslexic and ultimately got a GED in the U.S. Army. My mom was book smart, but her parents hadn’t gone to college either. So how was it that I went from Orford New Hampshire (total town population 800) to Smith College? Here’s how it happened:
I have a mother who decided that one of her greatest priorities IN LIFE was to send all 5 of her kids to college. I knew of this conviction of hers from as far back as my memory goes.
I also had a guidance counselor who believed in me more than I believed in myself. She introduced me to colleges through old course catalogues, which I read cover to cover. She had me take the SAT (not offered at my small high school), and I didn’t even know what it was.
Largely due to these strong women, I had determination. This determination and belief in myself contributed to me ever starting college to begin with.
My mother was not intimidated by the financial aid forms she needed to complete. Nor did it phase her that in order to pay the parent contribution, which was small by today’s standards, the family would have to cut down on the grocery bill. She told me about her plan, not to make me feel guilty, but in a matter of fact way that let me know that she was serious and she believed that I would be too.
When I left for college in 1982, all I had were some Hefty bags filled with my possessions, an antique typewriter from my grandmother, and a feeling of excitement and terror in my gut. What I didn’t know then was that I really was going to the moon.
I went from a small rural New Hampshire town, to one of the most prestigious women’s colleges in the country. This new place truly was as foreign to me as landing on the moon. It was so different and new that I could not begin to fathom what I didn’t know. What I did know, however, was that I was going to get a diploma from that college. There was never a doubt in my mind.