University Transfer with Vecksle

Transcript

 Let’s hear from Vecksle, whose Olympic college journey took him around the globe. Vecksle had to navigate grief, caregiving responsibilities, and a lack of confidence before starting at Olympic College. But here he found the support that launched him all the way to university and an internship overseas. Take it away.

– Thanks, Alex. Hello, everyone. When I first came to Olympic College, I wasn’t sure I was cut out for it. I had dropped out of high school when my father was diagnosed with cancer to look after my five younger siblings. I stayed by his side as a caregiver for 15 years. But after he passed, it was time to do something for myself. The advisors at OC helped me through admissions and suggested a college success course. That class really set me up for success. It had been a long time since I’d been a student. The skills for studying effectively, the ins and outs of writing a college-level research paper, learning how to prioritize the workload for multiple classes as well as the importance of self-care have been invaluable in and out of the classroom. My professors were also all very encouraging with ample office hours if I ever needed a little help. When I wasn’t in class, the Multicultural Center became a second home at OC. I made friends from around the world there with the English Conversation Partner Program. When I graduated with my associates from Olympic College, I also received a high school diploma. Honestly, I’m not sure which one I’m more proud of. Since OC has a direct transfer agreement with the state universities here in Washington, almost all of my classes transferred over with full credit and I was able to declare a linguistics major right away when I was accepted into the University of Washington. With my experience tutoring English at the Multicultural Center, I was able to take an internship teaching English abroad in Mongolia, and now I’m applying to a master’s program to teach English to speakers of other languages. That’s my story. Back to you, Alex.

– Very cool, Vecksle. The Multicultural Center creates a sense of belonging for students from all backgrounds and opens up the entire world to OC students like you. OC’s Direct Transfer Agreements with institutions including the University of Washington, Gonzaga and Washington State University make it a perfect jumping off point for students who want to attend university after earning an associate’s degree, thanks again.