Best-laid college plans take last-minute detour
After changing her college plans because of family circumstances, Monica Gutierrez is excited about pursuing a degree in interior design.
“I was going to be an engineering major. I was going to outfit planes. All the insides, where you can decide if it’s going to have wood paneling or if it’s going to be stainless steel. You have to do all of that within budget, and that’s really interesting. I loved that.
“In high school I was taking a shop class, I was taking an electronics class, and my mom taught me how to sew. I had been accepted to Embry (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) in Arizona, and I had just bought my car. I was so excited to go.
“Then my mom got really sick. She had tumors, and she’s still fighting them off. They’re not malignant, and she’s gotten rid of most of them. She’s down to one, so we’re really happy. But during that time she wasn’t doing too well. And my sister got engaged, so we were planning her wedding. I was graduating. My younger sister had just been accepted into this new high school, IMPACT. So I was like, there’s no way I can leave home. So I graduated, and the next Monday I was here at Lee College taking a swimming class and facing my fear of swimming.
“Right now I’m an art student, but I’m planning to transfer next semester. I hope to do interior design. I’m excited about what the future holds.”
— Monica Gutierrez
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