My First College Course At South Dakota State University

I realized something about myself when I took my first college course. The summer of 2016 I began my first college course at the age of 15. I took college algebra online through South Dakota State University. Along with the course I had a packed summer schedule filled with camps and trips. These excursions included Farmers Union State Leadership camp, a mission trip with Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, “Geology Rocks!” camp, and 4-H Achievement Days. Yet, I was determined to take the course to get ahead with my math and found a flexible professor willing to accommodate my schedule. However, little did I know that the course would require more of me than ever expected in my high school math classes. I began the course in June with novice review

Along with receiving my grade I was preparing to leave for a mission trip to Denver, Colorado with the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer. This meant another two weeks of assignments completed in one. I remember sitting in my kitchen taking the quizzes the night before our departure feeling quite dispirited from the stressful week of work. However, after a wonderful week of volunteering in the Denver area I returned home ready to complete more assignments. The next camp, I planned to attend was “Geology Rocks!” camp sponsored by the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, SD. I was beyond excited to study the geology of the Black Hills like Sue Hendrickson for a week. At this point in the course the material was becoming unwieldy and I was starting to realize how many of my typical summer activities I was missing out on like lake days, bonfires, and baseball games. Unfortunately, I found it much harder to want to complete my work. However, I knew I was doing the right thing to accelerate my high school schedule. I knew that after geology camp there were only a few weeks of the course left so I persevered. After spending a week touring and studying the geographical wonders of the Black Hills I returned home to more math. I distinctly remember getting to our house in Rapid City, showering and sitting down right away to complete a weekly quiz that was due by

Taking the course taught me a lot about myself. It taught me that when I need to get something done, I can buckle down and accomplish it. That no matter the circumstances where there is a will there is a way. I was so proud of myself for being able to accomplish not only a college course, but also two camps, a mission trip, and Achievement Days. It taught me about prioritizing and time management. It also taught me that there are sacrifices to be made to pursue a dream. In addition, it also taught me that no matter how much you practice and study all you can do is try your best. I think this was my biggest take away from the entire