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Zachary Hamilton - January 17, 2014

My high school journey started off in a small town in Alabama. Growing up I was the youngest child of 5 with no idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up or even if I was going to stay in school. Expectations for me from others as well as myself were not high. Out of my four siblings, only 2 had earned a diploma which left me contemplating what the importance of a diploma actually was. Was it worth the effort? Do I really need one to be successful? Well I learned very fast that the answer to that is yes. Fortunately I was able to learn by example and not by my own misfortune. As I grew older and started to venture into the adult world, the reality of how important education is became very clear. The desire to join the United States Army came heavy onto me but without a diploma I wasn’t going anywhere. An older sibling of mine attempted to join several branches of the military with only a general education diploma in hand and was turned down by each branch. Obtaining this knowledge gave me the drive and desire to keep striving for a diploma and more hope of joining the Army and continuing my education with college. So here comes AIU. I was skeptical and leery at first. Is this for me? Will I be able to do this? Oh well, it’s worth a shot. As well as being in school, I was also working full time so doubt began to fill my mind. I was working 8-13 hour shifts of intensive labor every day. No one wants to come home from that and have to do school work but by learning by example of my sibling, my drive stayed intact. I’ll admit, there were a lot of times where I would get stuck on school work and I felt like giving up. Everyone has those moments; it’s human and perfectly normal but I had great parents that pushed me every step of the way and I finally did it! After years upon years of school, I finally earned a diploma and I am currently in the process of enlisting in the Army. Everyone has goals and at times they don’t seem possible but every great story has a start and the start of your great story begins with education. A diploma is something that holds a very important role of every career. It allows you to venture further into education if you want or even stop with it but the importance should be known. It will lead you to a better pay grade which, in turn, will allow you to provide more for your family and it will also give you a sense of accomplishment. Education is key and no one can ever take it away from you.


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