{"id":4930,"date":"2019-01-21T00:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-01-20T17:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/studentmedia\/?p=4930"},"modified":"2020-09-16T03:54:52","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T20:54:52","slug":"climbing-the-college-ladder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/accent\/climbing-the-college-ladder\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing the College Ladder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two Austin Community College Alumni from different walks of life, share their stories in hopes to change the stigma of junior colleges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Written, Photo & Video by Marissa Greene<\/em><\/p>\n

Once one has come to the point of receiving their high school diploma or completing their GED, what\u2019s next? Well, that may look different for some people. It could be taking a gap year, entering the workforce or attending a college.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot going to college was never an option,\u201d says ACC Alumni Network Council President, Lynn Kindler. Like many, Kindler was encouraged to take, at least, one year at ACC by her father. So, she began her educational journey in 1980 at the Rio Grande campus.<\/p>\n

Decades later, a first-generation student, Jose Sosa, began his college education at ACC in 2002. \u201cIt was a big challenge, to be honest,\u201d he says. \u201cI never thought I would be able to accomplish my associate\u2019s degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sosa was able to further his education through ESL and math classes to better his GPA at ACC before transferring to a four-year university.<\/p>\n

Many pursue community college to make the transfer to a four-year college. However, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, this past fall approximately 13.3 million first-year students enrolled in a four-year university, while 6.7 million students attended a two-year college. That\u2019s nearly twice as many students paying more for the basic courses. What causes this gap \u2013 is there a stigma related to attending a community college?<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a lot of shame going on…it\u2019s like everybody knew I was going to a community college instead of UT or St. Edwards,\u201d says Kindler. \u201cBut I knew I was getting the education I needed because the classrooms were smaller and I was getting the attention I needed from the professors.\u201d<\/p>\n

As some may feel a lack of clout at a community college, others feel the stress of juggling daily tasks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to meet deadlines, go to work, study for my tests, and travel between campuses because I didn\u2019t have transportation at the time,\u201d Sosa says.<\/p>\n

Prioritizing these tasks can be difficult for some. ACC works to create a variety of resources provided to its enrolled students, from financial readiness with Student Money Management to goal setting with academic coaches to networking with the Alumni Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very disciplined to take my tests,\u201d Sosa says as he took advantage of ACC resources in order to comb through all that he had to accomplish. Once he completed his associate\u2019s, he wasn\u2019t done just quite yet. Sosa took it to the next level by attending Texas State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believe in education, it is very important,\u201d Sosa says. \u201cIt can open so many doors professionally in so many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

After looking back at all of her accomplishments and her start at ACC, Kindler recommends trying a two-year college before anything else. \u201cIt has taken a progression of many years for me to get to the place where it\u2019s not a shame thing to go to community college. In fact, as a career coach\u2026if you don\u2019t know exactly what you want to do and where to get it, why wouldn\u2019t you go to a community college to get the first two years knocked out?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kindler completed so many of her classes at ACC that she only had to earn 30 credit hours after transferring to UT. She claims to have a passion for helping others, \u201cwhen I\u2019m working with somebody and they\u2019re really struggling with something or looking at something in their life, I can help them unlock the knowledge and gifts that they already had in them and wow that\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

As members of the ACC Alumni Network Council, Kindler and Sosa show thanks to ACC for being their first steps to where they are today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to give back to all that ACC has given me,\u201d Sosa says. \u201cWhat I tell students is that when I came to ACC I was not very fluent in the language. So if I could do it anybody else could do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you are looking to go back to school or beginning your first semester of community college, think about Jose Sosa and think about Lynn Kindler and think to yourself if community college is really all that bad?<\/p>\n

Jose Sosa is a Lead Safety Coordinator at Workers Defence Project and owner of Sosa Income Tax and Adela\u2019s Cleaning Services. He also earned OSHA Safety Certification to educate construction workers and nonprofit organizations about safety in the workplace.<\/i><\/p>\n

After college, Lynn Kindler had a variety of careers such as an Executive Assistant to the Publisher of Texas Monthly, a mentor coach, Producer and host for Blog Talk radio, a career coach, amongst many others.<\/i><\/p>\n

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