Attending East Tech for four years prepared me for college and the work ethic that it requires.
I knew what it was going to take to not only survive college, but thrive and I just had to implement it. What I didn’t realize was that it gave me tools to succeed outside of school as well including being able to work and collaborate with others, taking in criticism, improving my work and myself, and overall that putting in real effort in everything I do will always be worth it.
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
In the summer of 2016, my best friend’s mother was telling me that she wanted to send Teri to Egypt as a graduation gift and sent me the details in hopes that I would be able to go as well. The trip would cost me $2500 to be paid by November, giving me about 6 months to come up with the money. I spent two weeks debating if that was possible for me, weighed the pros and cons, and came to the conclusion that it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up!
MY DETERMINATION
So for six months I worked hard, picked up any shifts at work that I could do, all while having an internship 15 hours a week and taking five classes at the University. It was hard work and although I may have taken some power naps in class, I ended up paying for the trip and receiving a 3.75 gpa for that semester; I was so ready.
MY JOURNEY BEGINS
We got to Cairo, Egypt on Dec 31st where we met with our group that we were going to spend the next eight days with. Day two was spent admiring one of the seven ancient wonders, the Pyramids of Giza as well as the Egyptian Museum. Pictures do not do justice at how unbelievable it all was and how till this day they are still finding artifacts that provides us with information on how they lived and their story. Day three we ended up in Aswan where we took a traditional felucca sailing boat down the Nile River where we were able to see some ancient sites, beautiful views, and the Sahara Desert.
Day four was spent visiting the market in town as well as the Abu Simbel Temple that took my breath away. He was known as the greatest Pharaoh ever and it definitely shows at how big and precise his temple was built. Day five and six was spent visiting more temples including the Luxor, Temple of Horus, Temple of Kimombo, Temple of Karnak, Temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossos of Memnon, Avenue of the Sphinxes, and a tour through the Valley of Kings. Every site was amazing to see and hearing the history and stories behind it all was an experience I will never forget.
The last day was spent in Hurghada, Egypt, where it was geared more towards tourism and fun where we took ATV’s through the Arabian desert and swam in the Red Sea, which was a great way to end the trip. Overall, it was more than I expected it to be and worth all the late night cram sessions and sacrifices I made.
If I didn’t take high school seriously at East Tech I’m sure I would have made it through, but I believe because I got into the habit of putting in real effort I was able to thrive in life after ECTA.
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