Home Sweet Home
Welcome back to another week of school advice, wisdom, lessons and knowledge. For the next two weeks of the School Series: College Edition, I will focus on sharing some tips and tricks for new or returning college students. Also, if there is any advice that you would like to share, comment down below or connect with me on any of my other socials, including “Inspire Those Who Inspire You” Facebook page, my Instagram account @inspire.those.who.inspire.you, or my TikTok account @inspire.those.
After transferring home to attend Community College, I didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous. People around me told me that Elgin Community College was a great school and it wasn’t that I didn’t think it was. More so, I was concerned with the stigma of going to a community college at that point in my life. I thought people would think differently of me for previously attending an out-of-state university only to return home.
It was already a difficult choice leaving behind friends and the campus I fell in love with. But then, I had friends at UWP that tried to discourage me from transferring. They weren’t happy that I left. I’m sure they had their own reasons but it hurt. I didn’t feel supported. Instead, it caused an internal divide. I questioned whether or not I could trust my “friends”. On top of that, I also had friends from my hometown that had some strong opinions. Words were spoken that the best decision in order to grow is to leave your hometown behind. It was a never-look-back kind of attitude. It’s fair. We were young then and we were interested to see the world outside of where we grew up. Looking back, I would say we were naive in that mindset. Not everyone has the same opinion, goal, or opportunity to move around or attend a school out-of-state. And that’s okay. Each and every one of us needs to figure out what is best for our own journey and go from there. There isn’t only one way to do things. There are various ways to figure out who it is we are and who we want to be.
Saying that, if you are ever transiting from one school to another, moving from place to place, or changing jobs, it can be intimidating. But rather than getting caught up in the overwhelming emotions, learn to reframe the situation. Remind yourself change is a good thing. Often times than not, when we are anxious or fearful of our next step in life, it’s because we have an attachment to something. It could be the amazing neighbors you have next door to the friendship circle you have to the stability and comfort you’re used to. Whatever it is, you can still have those things in the next phase of your life.
Now if you have a friend, family member, significant other, colleague, teammate, etc, moving or transferring, my suggestion is to support them. Having been in the situation, it is not an easy decision. I didn’t think “Wow, these people suck” or “This is the worst experience of my life, I need to get out of here” sort of thing. I came to the conclusion that where I was in life was no longer serving me or the future dreams I had. So, I took action. At the same time, I can understand another’s perspective, especially if not discussed beforehand, that it may come off as a surprise or a shock to the system. There may be hurt feelings on both sides. Both are valid. My recommendation is to ask the person making a change their feelings or motivations of the change. It can help resolve potential issues or prevent conflicts from miscommunication.
As I mentioned in my previous post “In the Woods” which you can read here, I discussed how we all have different paths in life. Some graduate high school and go straight into the workforce. Some people take a gap year and travel the world. Others head to community college to later transfer to a four year degree and some attend a four year university right after high school. No matter the route you decide to take, it’s up to you. Although people around you can influence your decisions, remember this is your life. You do you.
Now after coming from another college and then attending a Community College, here are a few things I noticed. One, the more obvious aspects. UWP is four year, public university but it was considered a commuter school. It means that a good portion of the students would go home on the weekends or during the holidays. So, for the remaining students, the halls were empty. It almost felt abandoned at times with how few people would be there on the weekends. Meanwhile, ECC is a two year, public Community College that offers pathways to a four year degree. It’s also a commuter school as there are no dorms for students. Two, UWP is a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athlete Conference, a leading Division II conference. As for ECC, I don’t recall the division at the time but in the 2021-22 season, the school moved back into division II. Three, I lived on campus in the dorms at UWP. It was a small campus so it only took a couple minutes to get to class. With ECC, I only lived about 10 minutes away but I still had to walk to class. On a good day, it would take 15 minutes driving to school and walking to class. Four, ECC was a bit of an overwhelming experience at first. It was bigger than UWP and there were more students. At UWP, there were roughly 5,000 students attending whereas at ECC, they serve roughly 16,000 students each year. Five, although UWP is just slightly over Illinois border, it was what I would consider a small town. There was a Walmart, a gas station, and a bank. There was also downtown portion which was busier and gave more of a suburban feel but ECC surroundings are different. Elgin is the farthest northwest suburb of Chicago. By technically, it’s actually its own city and is older than the city of Chicago with a population of roughly 113,000 residents. Although the location of the school is also situated away from the downtown area, the area is still quite busy. There are several restaurants and businesses surrounding the area.
I attended ECC for 2.5 years. During that span, I grew so much as a person, I meet so many amazingly, focused individuals, and I had the best time of my life. It was arguably the best college experience I had. Here a few of the reasons why.
The faculty. Everyone was so knowledgeable and friendly. It felt easy to schedule a time with my professors to discuss questions or issues that arose. I also looked forward to seeing them around campus.
The staff. With each leadership role, it was a wonderful time working with staff members. Each and everyone of them were great, successful leaders. I also had the opportunity to pick some of their brains and learn the in’s and out’s of things.
The classes. There were a lot of different classes to chose from. Similarly, to what is offered at a four year institution. For context, I took a Intercultural Communication class. During the health portion of the class, we were given an opportunity to do some extra credit. The extra credit that I chose to do was to create a word puzzle and I was awarded five extra points. I also took a Racial & Ethnics class. The professor for that class was amazing. Overall, I learned a lot. Often we discussed how each of us tend to have a bias towards a particular race. I will have to share my experience at a later time as it is too long for this post.
Then, I took an Art class. One of the projects we had for that class was to go to the Art Museum and find a piece of art that you liked and replicate it but also make it your own. When I went to the Art Institute of Chicago, there was an art piece that got my attention. It is “Untitled” (Art portrait of Ross in L.A.). If you haven’t had the opportunity to see it, it is a pile of candy. Now the pile of candy represents the artist’s partner’s body weight which is that of an adult male. Each day visitors can take a piece(s) of candy thus correlating his partner’s weight loss from his struggle with AIDS. Unfortunately, the muse did not survive due to complications. However, it is one of those out-of-the-box, get your mind thinking types of ideas. I think it is a great display and art piece. One of my favorites to this day. Now although that caught my attention, I ended up doing a sculpture similarly to that of the “Walking Man II”. I felt this was something more up my alley in terms of sculptures. I will add a picture below but I ended up getting an A on the project. Meanwhile, the majority of my classmates completed a painting or drawing of some sort. It was cool to see all of the different interpretations of art pieces and what others found interesting.
I also took a Asian Philosophy class. I learned too much information in that class. I say this because I am currently interested in re-reading some of the material. It discussed Hinduism, and Taoism, amongst others. I don’t feel like I’m able to recall as much information from that class as others. Anyway, that class was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. It could be THE hardest. The professor was quite strict not only on the material, but also with the papers. I no longer remember the length the final paper had to be but 90% of the class failed their final paper. I, somehow, managed to do okay. I considered myself to be one of the lucky ones at that time as I finished the course with a D. It was a challenge. I’d still suggest taking the course because there is a lot one can learn from the class.
Another class I remember taking at ECC was Criminology. It was a 3-hour week night class. I learned a lot about crime scenes. During that class, I found the information to be interesting but I also realized it wasn’t quite the major for me. I was clearly more interested in Global Studies with all the international and intercultural classes I took from beginning to end.
As for one of the general classes I had to take which was Speech class, it was the class I dreaded the most. I would get worked up and wouldn’t be able to sleep the night before. But after having completed the class, I realized that I didn’t mind getting up in front of people and sharing a cause that was important to me. I feel as though the class would’ve been much more difficult if I had been assigned something I didn’t believe in or had no information about.
If I were to give advice for those who will be taking the course or are taking the class as we speak, don’t stress about it. Most people are too concerned with having to present in front of others. Because of that, other students will be more preoccupied with reviewing their own speech than paying attention to yours. My recommendation is to try to go first. The longer you wait, the more nervous you will get. And as others take their turn, the more focused they will be on your presentation.
Another one of the classes I want to mention, is Sociology. I believe it was the beginners course but I could be wrong. Anyway, we reviewed the different mental health conditions in the class. For a project, we were assigned a partner and we had to present a mental health condition so my partner and I selected panic disorders. As we were presenting in front of everyone, I became anxious and panicked. I don’t recall what happened next but later on as my professor and I were talking, she believed I was having a panic attack. It is a possibility. I am not certain if it was or not. What I am grateful for is her opening up the discussion in a kind and compassionate way. I didn’t feel any judgement or disapproval when she mentioned that it could be. It was a situation that helped build up my confidence. And the reason I want to discuss is because often times when we witness someone get upset over a minor detail or what not, we are often don’t know how to respond. My suggestion is to reach out to your fellow classmate, teammate, friend, colleague, family member. Check in with them, ask if they need any kind of support, and remember to extend kindness and compassion. There are a variety of reasons they could be upset such as a fear of public speaking, overwhelming stress in their personal life, it could be a condition or sign of mental health struggles. Whatever it is that is the cause of the breakdown, you could make a big difference in their life just be being present and listening.
Last but not least, there was another project that I had to do for one of my classes but I’m not sure which one it was for. It could have been for the Racial & Ethnic class, Intercultural Communication class, or another one altogether. Anyway, four of us were in a group and we had to chose a different cultural event/location to go too. I remember that our group was trying to decide to go to a temple and attend a service or go to the Pilsen neighborhood, walk around, and, visit the National Museum of Mexican Art. Our group chose go to the Pilsen neighborhood. We walked by several of the murals and then, we went to the art museum. I enjoyed the family painting such as “Tamalada” by Carmen Lomas Garza. There was the “Santos Motoaopohua de la Torre de Santiago (Art Direction)” and a couple other art pieces that I enjoyed. Some of which, i am currently unable to find. If I find any of the pictures I took from that trip, I will add them in here. The museum also have several beautiful dresses and jewelry decorating the museum. It’s definitely worth the visit. If you are interested, here is the link for the National Museum of Mexican Art.
The Sports. Although I am bias on this particular subject as I was competing on the Women’s Cross-Country team at the time, I enjoyed going to other sporting events on campus. Specifically, I enjoyed going to basketball games. I did receive a scholarship one of the seasons which helped cover a good portion of my expenses. Being a Student Athlete, meant that we had weekly studying requirements in the library each week, scheduled practice times, races throughout the season, and had to maintain good grades. I remember there was this one instance, I wanted to take a sculpture class, however, due to the scheduled practice times, I wasn’t able too. Luckily, my amazing and inspiring teammates made up for it. The fun times we shared will remain a core memory at ECC. The only thing I wish I could go back and change was my work ethic. I was dealing with some personal stuff around this time and it conflicted with the amount of time and energy I had. I wasn’t at the skill level I had been in high school. It was disappointing on a personal level. Overall though, I loved being with my teammates, traveling with the team, and supporting everyone else.
The Student Organizations, Clubs, & Activities. Other than the people, the activities I participated in, the clubs I became a member of, and the organizations I became involved with is the reason I loved my time at ECC. If you are new here, my one suggestion in school is to get involved. You will meet so many people, you will learn your likes and dislikes, but more importantly, you’ll discover you. Per semester, I’ll run through my experiences.
First semester (Spring 2013) - I was not involved in anyway. It was my first semester so I was learning about the processes at ECC, getting familiar with where my classes were located, and I was meeting new people. I also spent a good portion of my time with some high school friends who were all involved in organizations. Without their constant encouragement to join an on-campus activity, I may have never gotten involved. And to think who I might of become without the structure and support, is crazy. So, shoutout to my high school friends and acquaintances for the suggestion. I wouldn’t be as informed, knowledgeable or happy as I am now without all of you.
Second semester (Fall 2013) - My high school coach encouraged me to join the Women’s Cross-Country Team, so I did. Although I had to quit at one point due to the personal stuff that I previously mentioned, I did return the following season. I also joined Student Government. At this point, I was only a member but I would later have a leadership role. While being a member, I took part in the following events:
Involvement Expo - It’s an event to welcome new and returning students. There is usually a variety of activities, clubs and organizations at the event.
Flag Football Tournament - It’s a school event to raise money for activities or a cause on campus. Students usually have to sign up ahead of time and then, there is a competition to see which team wins in the end.
Sweetest Day is a holiday - It’s usually around my birthday in October. That year, I went over to my friends house and a group of us make flowers out of paper. It was a lot of fun and such a wonderful idea.
My best friend surprised me with a birthday cookie cake that said “Happy Birthday Kelci”. She brought it into the Student Government office. It was one of the sweetest surprises anyone has ever done for me. I have one other example of this back when I was attending UWP. I had another friend surprise me as well. If I have not brought this up before, I am a big believer in celebrating people’s birthdays. I love celebrating other people on their big day. It’s fun and a good reminder of how precious life is. But it is also nice to be on the flip side as well. So, if you have people in your life who go all out for your birthday or make sure it’s a special event, here is your reminder to reciprocate every once in a while.
Illinois Community College Student Association Conference was held at Key Lime Cove - During the conference, there were workshops for student leaders to gain knowledge and learn new skills.
International Week - There were tables set up representing different countries from around the world. My fellow members and I had the Japan table. They told me about anime they watched and comics they read.
CarpeDenim - It was a fundraiser to have the community donate jeans to help homeless teens.
Nuestro Ballera Latina - It was a beauty pageant competition for Latina’s on campus. I knew multiple most of the ladies competing but two of my close friends at the time were nominated. I went to support them throughout the process. They answered each question gracefully and both of them are beautiful individual’s inside and out.
Third semester (Spring 2014) - Once again, I was a member of Student Government but I also joined United Students of All Cultures (USAC) that semester as well. It is as the title suggests. It is students from all over the world who come together and celebrate different cultures and traditions. It is another organization I recommend joining. I had a fantastic experience being a member. Here are some experiences from that semester:
As a member of USAC, we went to support the basketball team’s on campus as a group.
While a member of Student Government, we made use of the blank boards around campus and decorated posters in order to promote Student Government meetings and events.
I believe it was a USAC event, when we volunteered at Feed My Starving Children. Feed My Starving Children is an organization that collects donations, provides food to countries around the world to deliver hope and break the cycle of poverty. If you want to learn more, you can do so by clicking this link.
Women’s Tea - It is an event to honor all the inspiring women on campus.
Took a road trip with friends and student leaders. We drove to Texas and back. It was quite an experience. It was an exciting time and I loved spending every minute with them. Unfortunately, things didn’t end well. There was an argument at one point which caused a rift in the friendships. However, from what I have realized over the years, it was one of those things that happen. A good example is when best friends move in together. Typically it doesn’t go over well and it ruins the friendship. It was the same thing that happened to us. To this day, I cherish the memories we shared together and I don’t harbor any bad feelings. I hope y’all are following your dreams and succeeding.
Student Advocacy Days in Springfield aka the capital of Illinois. Several student leaders went to lobby for MAP Grant Funding at Community Colleges. MAP Grant is a type of financial aid that would go to eligible Illinois residents who attend approved Illinois colleges and demonstrate financial need. It was a type of financial aid that didn’t need to be repaid.
End of the year Banquet - I thought the theme may have been Wizard of Oz as u remember a fellow student crafting a yellow brick road but that could’ve been for another one of the many events on campus. However, the End of the Year Banquet is an event to celebrate the student organizations, clubs, and leaders on campus for a successful and great year.
Fourth semester (Fall 2014) - I made my return to Women’s Cross Country team that season. Even though it was only the four of us that year, it made it that much more special. We were all incredibly close, we motivated one another, we pushed each other to do better, and we supported one another. It was a highlight and it is one of my favorite memories. As for Student Government, my best friend and I decided to run for office aka a leadership role in Student Government. She was hoping for Vice-President and I was hoping for Secretary and we both got the positions we ran for. We also had a funny, down-to-earth President who made things a lot easier for us. But here are some of the events that occurred throughout the semester:
Summer Leadership Camp - It was in Lake Geneva and it was an overnight camping expedition. We spent the weekend attending Leadership sessions held by speakers or other Leaders and getting to know other student leaders on campus through team building exercises. It was a good ole time.
Involvement Expo - Once again, welcoming the new and returning students to campus with a variety of activities, clubs, and organizations present.
Google Hangout Meetings & Weekly Student Government Meetings - With our leadership roles, it meant more responsibilities. Those responsibilities included attending weekly meetings with our Student Organizations Manager to discuss upcoming events, holidays, policies, etc and weekly Student Organizational meetings. At the weekly Student Organization meetings, all were welcome but mainly, other student leaders of other orgs had required attendance. It was time where we all got together each week to promote upcoming events, future ideas, and got to learn more about each other. As a Secretary, I took down the meetings minutes, I usually would come up with an ice breaker, and I would keep track of my member’s hours, that sort of thing.
National Playdoh Day - Students, faculty, staff were welcome to stop by to play and build with some Playdoh.
Scavenger Hunt - A big group of us from Student organizations and/or students across campus decided to do a Scavenger Hunt at Woodfield Mall. Basically, we were split into teams of 5-6, I believe, to accomplish as many activities that were listed as possible. Each activity had a certain amount of points that could be attained. In order to be able to prove those things happened and win, someone on each team had to take pictures/videos. I think my team won but either way, it was a huge success and a lot of fun.
Fifth & Final semester (Spring 2015) - Due to my best friend having other obligations in her life at the time, she had to step down from being Vice-President of Student Government. This meant the position was re-open. There were two of us who were interested in the position. I don’t know if there was a vote or we simply agreed but we decided to share the role of Vice-President. In other words, we were Co-Vice Presidents which was really cool. It didn’t hurt that we all got along great. In addition to that, I was asked to be one of two Student Representatives for Student Affairs and a member for the Allocations Committee. For the Allocations Committee, the job was to plan and figure out the budgets for each sector/organizations for the next semester. As for Student Affairs, it was aimed at finding a solution of situations that arose from situations that occurred on campus. For example, a student did something and they had a chance at being suspended a few days, there would be a Student Affairs meeting. Usually it would be two student representatives, a faculty member, and a dean or member of the on-campus police. The four of us would then, discuss the situation from our perspectives to give clarity on the situation. Upon the discussion, we would all agree to come up with a resolution. Meanwhile, here are experiences during the course of that semester:
Leadership training - We had a meeting that was similar to a class. There were some unique questions and team building activities.
Leather Club - A new club started so a few of us from Student Government decided to check it out and support our fellow organization. It was neat! We were given some leather and some tools and got to work.
In February, I participated with Peace & Justice Club for the “One Billion Rising/The Long Red Line”. The event was to raise awareness for Domestic Violence. The point of it was to come together to show support and encouragement for victims of abuse.
“Going Cold Turkey” - At some point during the semester, a new policy was set to take effect across campus. This was the new no smoking policy. So, in order to raise awareness within the community and among students, faculty, and staff, we had to have a creative idea to promote. The idea of “Going Cold Turkey” was to encourage everyone to quit smoking immediately.
Supporting MSA - Unfortunately, due to ignorance, one of our fellow organizations Muslim Student Association received a threat on the dashboard on one of their cars or something. So, in order to remind them that they are welcome on campus just as much as anyone else, we, the student leaders got together and decided to surprise them. We hosted a meeting, we had a banner that everyone signed, there was food, and we all spent a wonderful night together.
Dodgeball Tournament - Similar to that of the Flag Football Tournament this was a Dodgeball Tournament. In order to compete, students had to sign up in advance but could still come watch. The tournament goes until someone is crowned a winner. As for all the proceeds, they went towards a particular cause. I volunteered at the Concession stand for the event with two incredible people. So, although I don’t know much of what the conclusion was, I still managed to have a fun time.
Student Advocacy Days once again in Springfield. This year we met with the Board of Trustees and were lobbying for the Joint House Resolution 35 Bill. The bill would lower tuition costs and lower the prices of textbooks by removing Sales tax.
End of the Year Banquet - This year’s theme was masquerade ball. Again, we got to celebrate all the amazing clubs and organizations on campus as well as the hardworking, dedicated students who were working behind the scenes.
The people. During my 2.5 years at ECC, it was the people who made the biggest difference. They were the ones who motivated me, encouraged me, and supported me. Without my classmates, my teammates, my fellow student leaders, friends, faculty, and staff, my experience at ECC would have been completely different. So, thank you to everyone I met along the way. You made my time at Elgin Community College a fantastic experience. You are an inspiration and a story to be heard.
Coming home was the best decision I made. And although not everyone understood the choice I made, I’m glad I followed my heart. It lead me to some of the best experiences in my life. For that, I will forever be grateful.
That wraps up my journey at ECC. Did you attend Community College? If so, what was your experience? I’d love to know. Let me know in the comments down below or connect with me on other social media sites. You can find me on the Facebook page “Inspiring Those Who Inspire You”, my Instagram @Inspire.Those.Who.Inspire.You or on TikTok @Inspire.Those.
As a signature of this blog, I like to end each post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness”. There is no such time as the present to “Inspire Those Who Inspire You”. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a direct, positive impact on someone else. Go out there today and change someone’s life for the better.
