Independence

When I chose to go to college at the University of Dayton, I made my first life changing decision. I am from a suburb of Chicago called Western Springs which is about 5 hours from here. I was looking at many colleges starting my junior year of high school. I decided that I wanted to go to college farther away so that I could become more independent and not be tempted to go home to visit besides on the regular breaks from school. Dee did the same thing when she decided to go to college even though in that time it was not common for the African Americans that she grew up around, to go to college.
By choosing Dayton I became more independent. I decided that I wanted to major in Dietetics all on my own with no one helping me or persuading me to choose it or any other major. When I got to college I made my own decisions and had the most freedom that I have ever had. But with all of my freedom comes consequences. I realized that I had to study hard and do my best academically or else I would lose my scholarship and therefore have to pay back my parents for the money that I cost them. This was a lot of pressure on me because I don’t have 10,000 dollars to pay them back if I don’t focus in school and end up not getting a 3.0.
Dee had similar expectations. Since it was not common for her to attend college, she had to prove herself. She needed to show everyone that she was going to be successful and to prove to Mama and Maggie that there is an entire world that they don’t know about. She wanted to show them that they have so many more opportunities than they know about.
Another way that I showed my independence was by joining clubs and participating in certain activities on campus. I joined to Student Dietetics Association when I first got to Dayton; so that I would meet other students whose major is dietetics. I became active in school fundraisers like the Frerick’s 5k that happened around the campus over Parent’s weekend. And lastly, I participated in Christmas on Campus by adopting a girl and buying her Christmas presents. These activities all showed my independence at Dayton.
There are major differences between Dee’s and mine independence. When I achieved over a 3.0 last semester, I did not act like I was better than anyone or go home to my family and act disrespectfully to them. But when Dee went home to see her family for the first time in a very long time she was very disrespectful. Even though Dee went to college that does not give her the right walk around Mama’s house taking things that don’t belong to her. Dee needs to control her independence and realize how it makes her Mama and her sister Maggie feel. She should show them respect so that then they will actually listen to her when she tells Mama and Maggie about how they can improve their lifestyles. Overall, there are many similarities and differences between Dee and my own independence.