Isa Adney
"Community College Success: How to Finish with Friends, Scholarships, Internships, and the Career of Your Dreams"
San Diego, CA USA
"Not all dreams work out the way we want, but even if they don’t, there’s this fuel that dreams provide us that push us in the right direction."
Career Roadmap
Isa's work combines: Writing, Education, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I decided to change my major to communications because the writing aspect of that field was more enjoyable than being an English major. I had to follow my gut and figure out what I liked and didn't like.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Seminole State College of Florida
Bachelor's Degree
Mass Communication/Media Studies
Stetson University
Graduate Degree
Human Resources Development
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Grew up in a lower-middle-class family and was the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college.
2.
Even though her father graduated from a community college and her mother went to cosmetology school, she didn’t realize that until later in life because school wasn’t discussed.
3.
However, her family was very supportive of her dream to go to college—says they told her, “Go anywhere you want; we will take out loans.”
4.
Was originally planning on going to a private four-year college, but due to the cost of admission she decided she didn’t want to place that financial burden on her parents.
5.
She decided to attend the local community college instead—says the personal attention given to her by advisors and teachers helped her find what she was really passionate about.
6.
Won a $110,000 Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, which enabled her to transfer to a four-year university and attend graduate school—she received her B.A. in communications and her master’s in education.
7.
Was inspired to write her book, “Community College Success,” in order to share everything she learned in the process and help other community college students succeed.
8.
She is now a full-time speaker, consultant, and author.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'm just not understanding or interested in literary critique. Maybe I shouldn't be an English major or even a writer.
How I responded:
I decided to change my major to communications because the writing aspect of that field was more enjoyable than being an English major. I had to follow my gut and figure out what I liked and didn't like.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I got into a private 4-year college, but couldn't afford the tuition, so I went to a community college instead.
School was never really talked about in my family, so I didn't really know how to succeed. However, my family was supportive of my dream to go to college.
I often felt out of place in school, but I leaned on the support of mentors, books, my spouse, and close female friends.