Linda Heil

Words of Wisdom from a "Non-traditional" Off-beat Student

My name is Linda and I have been at Highline Community College since 1999.  I will graduate in June of 2002.  This experience has been more than life changing.  I am known as a "non-traditional student."  I am about as non-traditional as one can get.

I have had a wonderful time at Highline, and would not trade this challenge for anything, unless perhaps for another equally favorable one.  All of the teachers here are quite awesome.  They are committed and caring.  I recommend this college to anyone who wishes to be treated with dignity and respect.  I have loved it because it has given me a chance to find out who I am and where I belong in this crucial time.

As a new student entering college for the first time, and at a time in life when most people are winding down, (I am in my fifties), I was the proverbial offbeat kind of person, not knowing my right hand from my left.  Actually, I was afraid of even the bookstore at first.  I felt like Jerry Lewis.  Oh and the student lounge, and the cafeteria were all very scary.  Now, it doesn't bother me at all.  I am part of the whole thing.

I had no one to show me the ropes and consequently made some so-called mistakes, such as taking too many of the wrong classes.  This is why I have been here for three years.  But in the long process I have been fortunate in building my self-esteem and learning to accept people where they are.  The enrichment of art, music, and literature cannot be considered a mistake for anyone.  All of these things are essential to anyone who wishes to be all that they can be.

There are many students here from other countries and different cultures, and yet there is no animosity or prejudice that I have observed.  Every effort is given to ensure that your unique one of a kind situation is well taken care of.  As an American by birth, I am amazed at how well students from other places seem to fit in.  This would be hard for me, (if the tables were turned and I was in a foreign country) as I think of myself as a klutz.  I cannot  imagine how difficult it would be in a country where the language would be strange and new to me.

If you are looking for a place to find new life and new challenges, check out Highline.  As for me, I am a pioneer, I am going into new territory, and planning to continue my education.  I will be working with youth and others who are stuck in the drug culture.  Perhaps my experiences will give some of them the inner control to renew their commitment to finding a productive life, and new hope.  In the words of a great man, Winston Churchill, "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself."  Take a leap and join others' who will not be swallowed up with helplessness, but who with faith and hope, begin a journey one step at a time, and eventually find that without knowing it, they have contributed to a better society and a better world.  A world filled with hope and promise.

This is the legacy I want to leave as my heritage.  My best to all who are of the same heart and mind.