With shaky hands and tears welling in my eyes, I said thank you and quietly pulled the phone from my ear. The admissions office at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln had just informed me that while they were not rejecting my application for admission, they would be unable to proceed with my acceptance under the current circumstances. Admission required a minimum of two mathematics courses at the high school level and neither my military service nor my GED would suffice.
At seventeen years old, I had exactly zero interest in Mr. Lagger's logarithms and very openly displayed my contempt for authority and the public school system in general. Now, my only chance of admission was to complete two remedial mathematics courses at the post-secondary level before the University's admissions department would approve my application for admission. I was determined to earn my degree in Professional Golf Management in partnership with the PGA of America and the University of Nebraska in Lincoln was one of only a handful of institutions in the United States to offer the program and certainly the only one I had any chance to attend. There was no other option, I had to complete the mathematics.
I peered over the low backsplash of the kitchen counter of our small duplex into the living room where my daughter was deeply engaged in one of her favorite children's programs on Netflix. I began to feel a surge of fear and anxiety. I had never been a particularly great student. I struggled to adjust socially and had a very difficult time concentrating in class. As I watched her enthusiastically respond to the solicitations of the characters on screen, I knew I had to give it a shot. I wasn't about to feed my children with EBT forever so I walked up the stairs and continued straight to my bedroom at the end of the hall where our computer was situated. I navigated to the Ashford University (Online) portal and used the link to contact an advisor.
This blog will contain the bits and bytes that took me from learning to add fractions in an online classroom with Ashford University through an undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska with majors in mathematics and computer science to the startup founding entrepreneur that I am today. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, but at the very least, I'll try to keep it entertaining. If you are here, thank you for following along. Having said that, and keeping with tradition.
Hello World!