There are a lot of things you learn very quickly as a college student. One is that there may be a few classes that you wish you never had to take. At Community College of Philadelphia, I certainly had a few – basic English and math, to be exact – but in the end it was worth the time spent because it knocked out requirements that I needed to graduate.
But another thing I learned at CCP is that one person can make a huge difference in how well you do academically and socially. For me that person was my English professor Eleanor Cunningham. I met her during my sophomore year and she offered her help to her students toward the end of the semester.
Honestly, I don’t know where I would be if not speaking to her. The course that Mrs. Cunningham taught was called Introduction to Speech Communication. She holds a degree from Temple University and is a huge Philadelphia Phillies fan.
Prior to choosing my classes, I took a look at Temple University’s required classes for a journalism major. Why Temple? My high school counselor and teachers continuously asked this question at the time I was preparing for college. Even my friends asked why not simply leave Philadelphia and start anew somewhere else?
Yes, I knew of all the other schools with awesome journalism programs; University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, just to name a few. Still, Temple University was always on my tongue when people asked me what college I planned on attending.
