Why college education is important to me

Why is College Education Important to me
[Student’s Full Name]
[College’s Name]
I could start this essay by saying run-of-the-mill quotes, or citing references that do not have to be with me. That is what people would expect. Nevertheless, today I aim higher, I wish to speak from within me to show the lengths I had gone to find an education, and to make it clear, why it holds such an important place in my life. I had been waiting for 32 years to get a college education, and to me, a 50-year-old man, education is one of the last significant milestones I would like to achieve. If you asked me, and I had only a few minutes to explain my motivations, I would tell you that. However, today I can expand, and tell you guys all the details around my decision of going to college.
Once I read the book “Hunger of Memory” by Richard Rodriguez, and I felt that we had many in common. Like him, I grew up in a Hispanic family, and that changed the way I see life. For instance, living between two cultures, between two worlds can be overwhelming, and might be hard to remember who you are. Like Richard Rodriguez, I have felt that affirmative action policies do not actually favor those who need it (Rodriguez, 1982), and like me, are unable to find college education, despite really wanting it. To me, and all those men and women, education means a passport to success, and I will not try to fool you by not telling you that success is one of my greatest motivations.
That way, it is not hard to realize why a college education is important to me.

For me, it would mean securing a future that until now, has always seen cloudy. It would be offering myself something I have earned through hard work from all of these years I have been longing to do it. It is a way to show my family that success comes to those who look for it. Finally, to show that good things come to those who hustle like Abraham Lincoln would say. There are many times in a person’s life where risks have to be taken, and this risk is one I need to make. To be truly able to advance in life, and secure the profession I have always wanted, I have to hustle and fight.
Henry David Thoreau said, in his book “Walden” that a person advances confidently toward their dreams, but that progress does not come by luck, it is a matter of trial, and experience (Thoreau). I feel that the writer’s words define the way I see life. Maybe the circumstances were not fair, nor right, but I am on the correct path now, doing what I need to achieve my goals finally. Thoreau also said that he found success uncommon. I consider that it is not, but there is not a formula. To me, success has been hard to achieve, and I might not have succeeded yet.
To get a college education is not my final step, I wish I could progress and get an MBA. That way I could feel that I finally rose up to the highest possible, and it was all because of my effort, and the patience of all the people around me. I would not have been able to get this far without the help of many people. In a way, I think that dreams and motivations are what define us, but without people to have your back, those dreams might crumble into dust. Me I am ready for this new challenge of becoming whom I have always wanted.
References
Rodriguez, R. (1982). Hunger of memory: The education of Richard Rodriguez: An autobiography. Boston, Mass.: D.R. Godine.
Thoreau, H., & Shanley, J. (1971). Walden. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.