Through videos, blogs, posters, small group meetings, community outreach, and presentations, our UAlbany Project MyStory bloggers their experiences – the good and the bad; the ugly and the beautiful. Check us out every Monday, after 12 pm, for MyStory Mondays, when we share the latest posts.
Meet Heather
” I am pulling grades I once only dreamed about.
And no one saw it coming. Not even me.”
Hello everyone! My name is Heather Moore. I am currently a senior here at UAlbany in the BA/MA program for Communication. I transferred to UAlbany two years ago from Hudson Valley Community College, after earning my associates degree in business administration. I was born and raised here in the Albany area. I love traveling, yoga, a good movie, and a complicated question.
Before coming to UAlbany, when I was a student at HVCC, I had no grand plans of continuing my education at a 4 year university. In high school I was a mediocre student with focus issues and a discouraged attitude. Once I reached Hudson Valley, I struggled for a while to find direction (as most students do). When I had finally chosen a path, my goal was to finish. That’s it. Just to finish. I never felt I had what it took to be a student at a 4 year school, so I never imagined myself as one. And my advisors were let’s say…less than encouraging when I prompted them about the possibility of continuing my education. I even had one advisor tell me not to bother applying to UAlbany because I would “have no chance” at acceptance.
However, what nobody knew, was that I did have a chance. I just had to “unlock my potential,” as cliché as it sounds. With the help of some very special people, I learned how to focus myself and slowly started gaining confidence in my abilities, not only as a student, but as a person. And when that happened, everything changed. I became a straight-A student for the first time in my life. And while visions of a future with new possibilities began popping into my head, the voices of doubt quieted.
This newfound confidence was a little uncomfortable for me at first, if I am being honest. I thought I knew my limits before. I had accepted them long ago. Believing in myself and utilizing my potential was new territory for me. But I knew the feeling of failure and I knew could deal with it again if I had to. So I jumped. I jumped fast and hard and landed myself an acceptance into the Communication program at UAlbany. I will never forget the feeling of holding that acceptance letter in my hands. I cried. My mom cried. It was an intense moment.
Two years later, and the girl who believed she had no shot, is now the same girl who is in a special masters program. I am pulling grades I once only dreamed about. And no one saw it coming. Not even me. A couple professors here at UAlbany who had seen potential in me gave me the courage to press forward. Their belief in me, inspired belief in myself. And to them I am forever grateful.
I wanted to share some of my story with others because I want to do the same for someone else that was done for me. To hear the words “you can.” You can be something great. You can accomplish more than you think; if you give yourself a chance. The hardest thing to do, is to break down the box you build around yourself. My hope is to help other students find their courage. I want students to acknowledge themselves as capable individuals and realize that they are worth more than they might think. Because it is too easy to forget.
Find out more about Project MyStory Here!
When I first started this blog, I didn’t know how much of an impact it would have on people. As much as I had hoped for at least one person to be able to relate to my experiences and feel some comfort, I did not actually think I would get the feedback I have received.
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