Didn't Go to College After High School
Anthony Bond didn’t go to college immediately after high school even though he was valedictorian of his class and could have gotten a scholarship to Alabama’s Troy State University “I was more interested in getting married and getting a job, but I often regret not taking advantage of the opportunity.”
Anthony’s career path led him to the field of computer technology and he did well but found that, even though he had the skills and experience, without a college degree his opportunities were limited. “I often tell people that I came back to get a piece of paper that proved I could do what I was already capable of doing.”
Anthony made the decision to return to school in 1994 and enrolled in evening classes at Guilford Technical Community College while still working fulltime as a computer technician. He eventually left his technician job to go to school fulltime at GTCC. As with many adult students, life outside of school often caused starts and stops in his academic career but, with the helpful support of his wife and two daughters, he eventually received his Associates in Science degree from GTCC and came to UNCG in the fall of 2002.
Although Anthony is a Deans List student, he has found that schoolwork hasn’t always come easily. ”Learning seems different for me since I’m older; it takes more of an effort to retain and understand the information.” Math, especially Calculus Two, and Spanish have been particularly challenging.
Four Weeks in Mexico
He has, however, found a creative way of finishing up his language requirements. This summer he is going to Mazatlan, Mexico for a four week business school language emersion program that is going to substitute for Spanish 203 and 204. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but Anthony was able to get the head of the math department to agree to a substitution. He has always had a fascination with foreign cultures and became involved with the PAL (Peer Advisor and Liaison) program. PAL matches incoming international students with UNCG students to help the exchange students adjust to life in this country and at UNCG. It was through his involvement with PAL that he found out about the language immersion program.
When Anthony first came to UNCG he occasionally felt out of place, but that feeling quickly disappeared. “It’s funny; I’m almost never aware of an age difference; in fact I identify with the young students and surprisingly feel like one of them.” This is in large part due to the effort Anthony has made to become involved in activities outside the classroom. “I’m making up for lost time. I missed out on the experience when I was younger and want to get all I can out of it now.”
Besides his involvement with the PAL program, which he describes as, “one of the most rewarding experiences I have had at UNCG,” his love of horses led to his joining the UNCG Equestrian team. Although time demands forced him to leave the team, he had a wonderful experience. “I placed third in the first meet that I participated in.”
President of the ACM
He is involved in the ACM (Association for Computer Machinery) and is the association’s current President. This year he made the effort to get the organization officially affiliated with UNCG and has increased participation in the club by getting ISOM students involved as well as computer science majors.
He has also become involved with Outdoor Adventures through the UNCG recreation center and is looking forward to a backpacking trip to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, as well as 3 other trips that he has signed up for.
Asked what his advice would be to someone thinking of a return to school, he said, “If you’re thinking about coming back don’t let all the excuses prevent you from doing it. Adult students always have to deal with responsibilities to families and jobs but there are ways to meet those responsibilities and still return to school. Also, if at all possible take advantage of many of the other opportunities that UNCG has to offer in addition to your academic endeavors. It is a very rewarding experience. If you don’t use it you lose it and certainly education should be a lifelong endeavor. It broadens your life; it makes it so much richer. I took a 500 level Archeology class, something I knew nothing about and greatly enjoyed it. I have never enjoyed literature classes, but I took a Shakespeare class and to my surprise it was a lot of fun.”
Anthony is hoping to go on to graduate school here at UNCG . He has always had an interest in biotechnology and would like to concentrate on bioinfomatics. It is a new field that would almost guarantee a job upon graduation. He is currently helping a biology professor setup some equipment for a lab experiment and would like to work in medical research in genetics in the future. He is also intrigued with the idea of working with government in combating bioterrorism.
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Page updated: 06-May-2009
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