Perseverance Pays Off in Life

Hello, my name is Bradley Lloyd.

I am an Army veteran and was in the U.S. Army for 18 years as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Maintainer and as a Logistics Clerk. When I left the Army in October of 2015, I didn't know what I wanted to do for a living when I transitioned into the private sector. I finally decided to go to college since one of my main goals in life was to get a college degree.

I started attending Columbus State University pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Earth and Space Science with a concentration in Astrophysics and Planetary Geology in January of 2016. I started struggling in my Calculus courses and I had to get help from the CSU Math tutors to help me pass the classes. It took me three tries and I finally passed my Calculus I course on the third attempt. I started struggling in Earth and Space Science and decided to switch my degree to Computer Science with a concentration in Video Game Programming. Frustratingly, I struggled in this area as well. I decided to switch to an Associate's Degree in General Studies with a minor in Linguistics which I had already completed. When I switched for the final time I was mad at myself because I had tried to complete all these areas in college but I never was successful. The backstory that originally started this was in the year 2001, I had been accepted into a prestigious school called "The Digipen Institute of Technology", where I was going to get a degree to become a Video Game Designer. I was struggling with my finances all three semesters that I attended Digipen and then I left that college in October of 2002. I was surprised that when I left the Army in 2015, that I wanted to go back to college.

This Summer of 2022, I will graduate from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia with an Associate's Degree in General Studies and a minor in Linguistics. Even though I did not complete my other big goals, I am glad that I finally obtained a college degree. So, the lesson here is celebrate your accomplishments, big or small, in all forms. Never give up! Persist in all that you do and learn from your past mistakes. Everyone always sees the success on the outside, they don't see the blood, sweat, tears, and turmoil that happens on the inside (the hard work). I pray that we all find success in all that we do but that we can realize that just because something doesn't work out for us, doesn't mean we have to give up on our goals and dreams. As two famous people (Johnny Cash and Bruce Lee) always say, "Walk on!"