I told them I was going to community college and they never understood why. With wiry filled eyes, I knew they were questioning why someone with my grade point average was making such a foolish mistake. They asked me if I applied anywhere else, perhaps I didn't get my applications in on time. They glared at me with puzzled looks, pondering how my parents could let me follow this decision. Of all the places in the world I could study, I chose an education a few miles from my home.

I was joining the ranks of the "13th graders," post high schoolers portrayed as ambitious-less, lost souls who lacked the guidance of what a 'real' education was.

They planned I'd never leave my hometown. They labeled me a failure.

As a graduate of a two year school, with countless experiences under my belt, I can stand tall and completely define what a "13th graders" truly means.

A "13th grader" is: Someone with an incredible amount of drive to succeed. The temptations at home are the most dangerous part of going to school so close to home base. Of course, a percentage of us who attend are bound to take temptation by the hand and never finish an assignment. However, it takes a lot of strength, and a heck of a lot of ambition, to work through the distractions. While being away at college can eventually become equivalent, the familiarity of it all makes it a factor from the first day of class. We fight hard to continue moving on and get that "A."

A "13th grader" is: Someone who is willing to take on 50 things at once. Yes, we have the weight of difficult classes just like anyone else. However, most of us hold down full time jobs, splashed with a dash of social life and family obligations. Being at home requires a lot of responsibilities that we are ready to tackle. We may not have to do our laundry or buy groceries, but we are excellent in multitasking without a sweat.

A "13th grader" is: Someone open to making mistakes. We are fully aware of our mistakes and we embrace them. We use this time being so close to home (and so affordably close to our wallets) to live out our dreams and, possibly, change our mind in a semester or two. Going in as a Theatre Major, you may follow a different path and switch over down the road of Biology and Physics. You can do it without fear. Although it may seem like a "mistake," it is a blessing in disguise that our college will easily help us through.

A "13th grader" is: Someone who is just as eager to learn and experience life. Just because we can wake up, go to class, and be home for dinner, we still do whatever we can to experience the "college" life. Sure, we might not have the parties and the full opportunity to live on our own for the year. We may not have the sororities, fraternities, and relationships with classmates we will spend four years with. But we have so much more. We have the opportunity to experience so many different fields. We have the opportunities to study abroad, go away and work on internships, and meet an even wider variety of people from just a couple miles down the way. We all pop up, all different ages and varieties, wanting to get a quality education. And we want to do it together. Having such a large student population, it is rare that you will be in classes with the same group of people. We enter classrooms and open ourselves to a world of opportunities, ready with an experience down the line.

For all of us Community College students, take your Associates Degree high and wave it for everyone to see. This is your definition of a "13th grader." This is the "why" everyone needed to see.