Dreamstime

What does it mean to be a student at NOVA? That is a question every person enrolled at NOVA should ask themselves. Northern Virginia Community College is one of the largest community colleges in the nation. Its students should have in some sense an opinion on what they think about the place, the classes, the teachers, the activities and the relationships they form here.

Whether if it is either transferring to a four-year university or taking a class to brush up on skills related to work, people have their own reasons to be at NOVA. However, as diverse as those reasons are, there is a common drive amongst all students attending NOVA and other academic institutions alike. It is the pursuit of an education which leads to gainful employment and ultimately to a better life. It is the idea of putting in the necessary work at the present moment to secure one’s future, the American Dream. Yet, with the current dismal economic conditions and the rising costs of living, it is challenging to realize that vision. Nevertheless, many people are not discouraged from chasing their goals. Their optimism will help them achieve their goals.

Hope can be such a powerful source of inspiration. It can push the single mother to balance her full-time job and raise her child while going back to school and obtaining an advanced degree. It can encourage an 18-year-old who dropped out from high school to get his general education development certificate, enroll at a junior college and eventually transfer to a university.

The founding fathers of this nation would have never revolted against the British monarchy if they did not believe in a better way of life for themselves and for the rest of the colonists. If it was not for optimism, sons and daughters of former slaves would not have had the courage to march in Selma, Ala., in 1965 to protest segregation.

Hope is a valuable commodity needed to push society forward.

Everyone travels on a unique path, and most have a final destination in mind. Hope progresses this journey towards that endpoint. For the majority of students, NOVA acts as a staircase to a better tomorrow.

By: NOVA Fortnightly Staff

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