There’s a quote that I read once which says, “Regret for time wasted, is wasted time.” I’m unaware as to who the originator of this old adage is, but the words have had a very profound meaning on me. After dropping out of high school a mere two credits shy of getting my diploma, I began succumbing to the pitfalls of the street life. It was at this period in my life that I enrolled into the school of hard knocks.
However, I tried to get back on the right path and further my education by enrolling in an auto mechanics course at Lincoln Technical Institute. The words of George Santayana which state, “Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them”, would come into play, as I once again failed to finish something that I’d started. After eight months of a thirteen-month course, a course that I was excelling and doing great in, I dropped out. My 11th grade English teacher, Mr. Rick Miller had attempted to teach me the wisdom behind these words, but I failed to grasp the meaning. Now, here I was repeating the same mistakes, and not learning from them.
Indeed, the lessons I learned attending the School of Hard Knocks didn’t lead to a happy graduation, complete with cap and gown. It resulted in the forfeiture of my freedom and almost caused my literal life to end.
At the ripe age of twenty-one, after dealing drugs, carrying guns, and running the streets for four years destroying my community, my trek down the wrong path came to a screeching halt. After a seemingly simple, routine drug deal went bad, a room occupied by four men erupted in gunfire. Once the smoke cleared, everyone involved was riddled with bullets, and sadly one man lost his life at my hand.
I myself woke up at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, paralyzed from the waist down. As I realized that I was handcuffed to the hospital bed, an older black woman was holding my other hand, praying over me for my well-being. A woman who didn’t know me from a can of paint, who still viewed me, a young hoodlum ad someone worthy of mercy. “Oh, thank God you’re okay, you could’ve been going out of here in a bag like that other young man.” This is something I have truly regretted and felt absolutely remorseful for.
Ever since this tragedy occurred, from this pivotal moment on, I decided to change my mindset, and entire life for the better. For the past twenty-four years, I have searched for and welcomed education at every turn. As my failures resulted in me serving a thirty-five-to-seventy-year sentence in multiple Pennsylvania State Prisons, I have learned to make the best use of my time. I was blessed to obtain my High School Diploma in 2005. And I also obtained my auto mechanics certifications in 2006. Now I only put myself in positive atmospheres, surrounded by positive people. Education has become my path to redemption, and I’ve viewed school as an oasis within this dungeon. I’ve learned from my past and have vowed to never repeat the same mistakes. I am no longer a quitter, and I finish whatever I start. The same is true with my goal of becoming a Villanova student. Whether it takes me one, two, or three tries, I will continue to it forth the effort. And whenever I fulfill my dream of obtaining a degree, I will use that accomplishment as a testament for all to see, that no matter what mistakes or poor choices you make, you can turn your life around and do better!
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