Georgia Gwinnett College student overcomes obstacles to earn her degree
Gwinnett County, GA - Hundreds of students at Georgia Gwinnett College will be walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas this week.
Among them is one woman who has overcome a lot of obstacles to get to this point.
When Yesmeen enrolled in GGC in 2017, she was going through a difficult time in her life.
"I used to just wake up in the morning and not want to do anything, very unmotivated. I sing, I play guitar, I'm very social, I'm very extroverted and I wasn't doing those things," Yesmeen said.
She says she was coming out of an abusive relationship and was physically and emotionally abused.
She made the decision to flee and came back home to Georgia to her family.
Her decision to attend GGC in 2017 marked a turning point in her life.
She said there an observant professor who sensed she might be going through a difficult time.
At the end of the semester, Yesmeen said the professor said something to her that struck a chord in her heart.
"And he was like, there's nothing more powerful than a woman's determination for success," she said.
Her time at school was so much more than taking courses towards her degree in biology, it's where she learned to find herself again.
"I learned to forgive. I forgave him. I didn't forgive him for him. I didn't forgive his family for them. I forgave them for me," she said.
Yesmeen said she utilized the counseling services on campus to help her through this time.
"I've learned that I matter. It's not that I'm selfish. It's that I need to love me and fix me before I'm able to love anybody else or fix anybody else," she said.
A chapter in a Gwinnett County woman's personal journey endswhen she'll deliver the student commencement speech and walk across the stage to receive her degree.
Her journey at GGC comes to an end on Wednesday and Thursday, when she'll deliver the student commencement speech and walk across the stage.
She plans on applying to medical school and becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon.
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