Christine Diggs Research Paper

I remember vividly the moment I met Dr. Christine Diggs. I was 2 semesters in with John Tyler Community College, and for the first time I was headed to her office to meet with her, as my advisor. I had never been as terrified as I was at that moment because I was uncertain if I wanted to continue in my current major. I knew Dr. Diggs would have questions for me I couldn’t readily answer and it sent me into panic the enter way right up to her door. When I arrived, Dr. Diggs welcomed me inside to have a seat and reviewed my current degree choice and the courses I’d taken so far. After a few moments of awkward silence, the moment I’d been dreading hit me like a freight train. Dr. Diggs looked up at me, smiled warmly, and said “well Jessica, what are you planning

Working with the women in the shelter was challenging, rewarding, and humbling. I felt many different emotions, sometimes I was sad as I’d listen to the women there share their stories with me. At times I felt an overwhelming sense of joy for them as we’d converse about their strength and ability to overcome the situations many of them had come out of. I felt triumph for some the fighters, but the greatest of all the emotions I felt, was hope. All of the women I spoke with, regardless of their background, their situation, or their story, had a tremendous outlook of hope. In the face of all of the adversity in front of them they believed wholeheartedly in the good that would come in the days ahead. That hope rubbed off on me. What had started as my own quest for self-fulfillment and self-knowledge had turned into something greater and I couldn’t have been more thankful. These courageous women, in sharing their stories with me helped me to build on my own story. They inspired, motivated, and pushed me to never give