Dear 91制片厂,
Because we all left in such a hurry in March, I never got a chance to say goodbye
the way I wanted to, the way I planned.
I am sitting in front of the fire pit watching the flames in the cool night air, feeling a little nostalgic. Remember, 91制片厂, when I showed up for the first day of classes, how scared I was? My stomach was in knots, and I was terrified to leave my car. Thoughts echoed phrases spoken to me over the years:
鈥淵ou are too old to go back to school.鈥� (I was 30 years old when I went back.)
鈥淵ou are too sick to go back to school.鈥� (I was diagnosed with two chronic illnesses.)
鈥淵ou won鈥檛 make it because you can鈥檛 do math.鈥� (I have dyslexia and dyscalculia.)
鈥淵ou are female.鈥� (Apparently, some believe women can鈥檛 study science.)
91制片厂, that first day, I felt like you were speaking to me, too:
鈥淚鈥檒l take care of educating you if you take care of healing you.鈥�
Over the years, you helped me delve into subjects I loved, like geology and noir fiction. I found new subjects that ignited my curiosity, like astronomy. I also found subjects that, shall we say, I will not pursue further, like physics.
We had some great times, didn鈥檛 we? The field trips to Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks where we slogged through mud almost a foot deep and water waist high just to glimpse the LaSalle Anticlinorium鈥� I still laugh at the student who lost his shoes in the mud! While working as a Supplemental Instruction leader, I supported students from the beginning to the end. There were smiles, celebrations, laughs and some tears. The best part was that you showed me I could go back to school and succeed regardless of my age, medical conditions, disabilities or gender. It鈥檚 like you erased all those years of distorted beliefs and showed me a new life.
There were some dark times, though. Like when I had to work three jobs to help provide for my family. Or when I had a mini stroke. Or when I applied for graduate school to study paleobotany but was rejected because I was two courses short.
I thought I had wasted six years of my life chasing after a dream. I was in a deep sadness. I don鈥檛 remember who told me about geographic information systems, but as I looked at your website, all I remember thinking was, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 do this!鈥� I threw a Hail Mary pass and enrolled anyway.
The play paid off. I absolutely loved my classes, even the labs! How many students can say that? I had a knack for GIS, which could be applied to anything. I could combine my love of geology with my talent for GIS to build a career in hazards analysis and threat mitigation for emergency management. I took courses in emergency management and interned with the Palatine Emergency Management Agency where I learned how to apply my GIS skills to the needs of first responders. I found a graduate geography program with a specialization in GIS and a potential advisor for natural disasters and environmental risk. I spent weeks writing my statement of purpose with the help of 91制片厂鈥檚 Writing Center. 23 versions later, I sent out my application to Northern Illinois University.
While driving home after working in the astronomy class on February 24, 2020, at 9:30 p.m., I got an email from the graduate school at NIU. The decision was made.
I thought I was going to throw up as I pulled into the Holiday Inn parking lot. I
couldn鈥檛 wait until I got home to learn my fate. You probably heard me scream from
Crystal Lake, followed by intense sobbing. After seven years of trying and failing
and adapting and trying again, I could finally say that I was accepted as a graduate
student in the department of Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences at NIU! I got a graduate
assistantship, so my education is paid for and I don鈥檛 have to work three jobs. I
was the first in my family to go to college and graduate with my bachelor鈥檚 degree.
Now I am the first to go to graduate school.
I鈥檓 not going to lie, 91制片厂, I鈥檓 nervous. I don鈥檛 know what to expect because I鈥檓 blazing a new trail. But I was nervous before and look how well that turned out. I guess this is my long-winded way of saying thank you for believing in me when I and others didn鈥檛 believe. One day, I hope I can repay the favor.
It鈥檚 getting late. The fire is dying out. Tomorrow鈥檚 a big day. I just want to say, in the words of the Bob Hope, 鈥淭hanks for the memories.鈥�
Eternally grateful,
Jackie Cooney
Jackie graduated in May 2020 with a certificate in Geographic Information Systems.