Written by Christina (nee Pascascio) Keesling
When I was growing up, school was not a priority. So I dropped out at the age of 17. As I became older, I knew if I wanted a better life, I would have to go back and finish. I then enrolled at RecycleForce and Keys2Work’s HSE Program to achieve my HSE.
My journey began in early 2020 at the height of the pandemic. In-class instruction was thus not an option. I had to then learn from a distance. What this entailed was receiving hard copies of hundreds of assignments, completing them at home, and sending them back to the instructor; ditto for numerous hard copies of various practice exams using study.com and ixl.com extensively, as well as weekly ZOOM calls with the instructor spanning many months. In addition, the instructor and I emailed each other almost daily concerning clarifying questions and learning strategies.
It was going well initially, however, my life then changed for the worse. My health started to decline rapidly, and no one could tell me why this was happening. I had to make a choice, to yet again stop going to school. Surgery after surgery, multiple hospitals stays, and numerous ER visits within a two-year span took a toll on me mentally and physically. My future, at the time, did not look very bright.
There were many moments when I didn’t think I would survive. The toll was so great I almost gave up. One day though, I looked in the mirror and told myself, “this is not the end, get up, and keep going!” Armed with this new deep resolve, in late 2021 I enrolled again to finish what I started.
Today, despite all the preceding and formidable hurdles, I am honored to say that I DID IT! In 2023, I will be walking across the stage with hundreds of others who had the same goal in mind: a better life. To this day, I still struggle with my health and answers remain elusive. But through it all, I never gave up.
No matter what you’re going through, my advice is to never give up. If you have goals, dreams, and aspirations, never quit. Also, don’t heed all the naysayers.
If I can do it, you also can earn your HSE. In closing, I would like to say thank you to my husband and family for their never-ending love and support. And I would also like to thank my teacher, Dr. Query, for always believing in me and pushing me to be the best I could be. Even though he would invariably say, “no thanks are necessary Christina, though they’re appreciated.” I now cannot wait to see what the future holds, more so since I know it will be a like a beacon leading me to greater heights.