As the Spring 2023 semester is coming to an end, this may. Many students are graduating with different goals and achievements. For my final article, I want to dedicate this article as a guide to my experience during the two years at Houston Community College. 

For starters, my name is Diana Navarro, and like many, I am pursuing the American dream. From experiencing my senior year through a computer, I entered HCC at the peak of COVID-19, and the process consisted of many decisions. As a high school student, I was lucky to be part of taking dual credit classes. The enrollment process was a breeze. A tiny tip: your high school counselor is your best friend for any procedure for college application. 

My counselor helped me on how to make a financial aid form. For those who don’t know much about TASFA, three main things helped both years in HCC. First, if your parents report to taxes, you’re able to use that for financial aid to give your grants and opportunity for work-study. If the school grants you work study, use that advantage in school. Work study doesn’t only help you pay for school but can be a great opportunity to network and learn how a school works in certain areas. Lastly, in financial aid saying goes “first come first serve” Turn in your financial aid as soon as possible which can give the student a higher chance to receive more money aid.

My experience at Houston Community College once I enter was a bit different. When I first started, I immediately went to in-person learning since for a year and a half I was at home by myself learning so I thought going back in person could bring back the nostalgia of attending classes in person. However, if your expectation of a Community College is to have those Hollywood college experiences, it’s going to be very rough to find it unless you put yourself out of your comfort zone. I walked in thinking that I could be able to make friends easily turns out you have to try to interact with people. I would recommend for those who are entering HCC explore the activities and events the school sends out on their e-mail and social media because those encourage students to network and enjoy the college experience in their own way. For more interactive students or in this case, student life I would recommend going to the central campus since most of those activities are held there more frequently.

One of those events that I really enjoyed during my time being a student there was free haircut Wednesdays. Free haircut Wednesdays was an opportunity for cosmetology students to get real clients and have one-on-one experiences on what they would have to expect in their professional careers, and I really enjoy that because I was able to not only help them gain more experience, but I got an amazing haircut out of it.

My last message to Houston Community College will be it thank you. Thank you so much for opening the doors for students who search for better education at smaller sizes. I felt that my professors were always willing to listen and find a way that I could learn and use my knowledge in real-life situations and practices. Thank you to the advisors who were always willing to think outside the box and help the students find a way for transferring if not waste to graduate with the highest honors. College it’s never easy, it’s a new experience that shows you that you have to be independent and willing to learn rather than being forced to learn like in high school if you’re willing to learn find ways to put what you learn into real-life skills Houston Community College is the place to be since they have all types of careers and associates for you to be a step closer to your lifelong goals.