No matter who the person is there is one common goal in life, to be happy and successful. The interesting thing about this goal is that no two individuals define happiness and success the same, nor do they achieve their defined goal in the same manner. I personally associate the two together and believe that happiness and success can be achieved through hard work and means coming home at the end of the day to a warm home feeling fulfilled and looking forward to the next day’s work. I have come up with a list of goals that I need to obtain in order to reach my ultimate goal of being both successful and happy.

Since I was a little girl, my family ensured that I knew that an educated mind could take me far and encouraged me to do well in school and any activity that I became involved with. Their motto was “Work first, play later,” simple, but impactful. For this reason, I will always place high values on my education. I am currently a freshman majoring in Mathematics at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). Upon, graduating from ECSU, I plan on furthering my education by attending graduate school, earning a master’s degree in Mathematics. My ultimate educational goal is to earn a PhD in Mathematics.

I first became interested in Mathematics when I was in grade school. I excelled in the area and began focusing more and more on improving my knowledge and skills. As time went I on, it soon became apparent that math was not only a part of everyday life, but a necessity to every aspect of life; it was then that I decided to find a career in a math related field that would let me express myself creatively through designing.

To further gain knowledge in Mathematics, I have taken courses to learn how to use tools to better assist me in my studies and later on in my career. For example, I am currently learning how to use an interactive system called Matrix Laboratory, or MATLab. MATLab is a high performance language used for technical computing. However, I do not plan on stopping at MATLab, I also plan on sharpening my skills through internships, participating in research programs, and taking challenging courses.

No matter where I end up in life, I do want to be happy and successful. The only way I feel that I can do this is by working hard while continuing my education and in life. One day I would like to be in the position where I can give back to the community that helped to raise me. If I achieve these goals, I believe that I will be very happy and able to begin establishing more goals to contribute to my feeling of success.