I am a proud first-generation student. My mom attended college her freshman year, but then married my dad and never returned to college. Both my parents worked hard to ensure we had a comfortable life and they encouraged us to follow our hearts and pursue a college education. I am really grateful for their support.

I started my freshman year of college at a small, private college with no clue what I wanted to do for my career. I was enrolled in 18 credit hours while playing college volleyball and I was completely overwhelmed. I was crying about how I couldn’t keep up with it all and a friend said, “well, why don’t you just drop a class.” I had no idea what that even meant! You mean, I can choose to not continue a class?! Luckily, that first semester was the only time I needed to drop a class, but it was a life saver! I nearly quit college after my freshman year as I still didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life.

The main reason I didn’t quit is because I had a professor who told me I was too smart to not complete college and that I just needed to stick it out and figure out what I wanted to do.

So I transferred to MSU as a sophomore, undeclared, student. I knew I liked science and that was about it. So they enrolled me in BMS 110 Intro to Biomedical Sciences. My undecided advisor said “don’t be surprised if you see your GPA drop” – I graduated from a small private high school and I attended a small private college my freshman year that didn’t require a minimum ACT score. I was offended by her comment and was stubborn enough to think, “well, I’ll just show her.” So by sheer stubbornness, I got a 4.0 GPA that semester and most of the semesters that followed and I graduated with a BS in Dietetics (known to be a competitive, heavy science major). I should probably figure out who that undecided advisor is and thank her for offending me! I then went on to earn a spot in a competitive clinical internship, pass my registration exam to be a dietitian, and then later went back and got a master’s degree in Health Promotion and Wellness Management.

I now help rural and urban underserved/first-generation students that want to obtain a degree and go into the health professions in regional high schools and in GEP 101 courses. I’m proud to be a first-generation student because I know that I learned everything “the hard way” and it took a lot of determination and grit to finish, and I enjoy helping others from similar backgrounds overcome obstacles and succeed!

Heather Booth, Health Career Coordinator
Southwest Missouri Area Health Education Center