Waaaaayyy back in 2005, when I started my higher education journey, I jumped into the world of college with the desire to do my very best. That desire can be seen on my undergraduate transcript... at least the first part of it. I consistently pulled out A's and B's. On that very same transcript, you can see where alcoholism took over. Those grades abruptly dropped to D's and F's, peppered in between a lot of "incomplete" and "withdrawn" grades. I was placed on academic probation multiple times, and even academic suspension once or twice. I deserved all of it. School, much like everything else, took a back seat to alcohol. After Firstep, I decided to give it another try, and managed to finish my undergrad degree with a few more A's. Overall, I (somehow) managed to eke out a 3.0 grade point average.
When I decided to try my hand at graduate school, working towards my MSW, I had that same desire to do my absolute best. But, I was under no impression that I was going to be THE best. I just wanted to learn how to be the best social worker I could be. I wanted to build relationships. I wanted to enjoy the experience. As the semesters crawled on, I somehow managed to hold on to a 4.0 grade point average. I earned that MSW. I built those relationships. We'll see on what kind of social worker I'll be! But the cherry on top of this whole experience was being awarded "Outstanding Graduate Student" by the faculty of OU. From what I was told, I'm apparently more of a leader than I give myself credit for. Did I deserve it? I don't know. I don't want to say no, but it feels weird saying yes. I keep looking back at that John Cloud that was perfectly okay with accepting those horrible grades, putting in minimal effort and deciding to drink instead of working on school. To go from that, to being considered "outstanding" is just mind-blowing. I'm honored. I'm flattered. I'm excited. I'm still a work in progress. Stay tuned!
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