I can't really say that my incarceration has (directly) impacted my career ambitions today, other than not wanting to go BACK. I went to prison in 2009 and released in 2010 for car theft and drug manufacturing. At the time, I was arrested,, I had just gone through some things in my life that i harbored strong guilt for, causing me to abandon my family and home life. By the time I finally went to prison, i was ready for a change. I used prison as my time to reset, to get back to the good person that I knew I was. When I was incarcerated I took advantage of every class, vocational opportunity, and work experience that our prison offered. I got my GED in prison, because I did not graduate. And that's where I realized how much I do like school. So I guess I was wrong about my incarceration impacting my educational goals, because of school during my incarceration, I realized how here I am to learn. A lot of people I know that have gone to prison as well, have gone back. It's been 12 years since I was released, I don't think I will return. It is actually giving me A New perspective and appreciation for life, and freedom. As well as a thirst for learning. I even got a 99% score on my reading comprehension test for my GED, which made my teacher almost jump for joy. He was just as happy to tell me my score as I was to receive it. Truth is, I would have never received my GED if it hadn't been for my high test scores in Reading because my math scores were very low. I work physically most of my life, and now that I've turned 50, I would like to make a living using my brain..

When the pandemic broke out, my friend Dave and I were convinced that it was the end of the world. So we made a couple bucket lists that we figured we would either add on to or start doing. At the top of both of our lists was skydiving. That's always looked and sounded like a lot of fun to me. The next thing on my list was restore an old car and make it shine. Dave's second thing on his list was build something very big. Needless to say somewhere on that list of mine is build something. Which was my third choice down the list, was to build something, anything, preferably up high in a tree somewhere. A few years ago I was going to rollerblade across the country. That was also pretty high on my bucket list, but I might just be too out of shape now about to turn 50. We have slowed down a lot on adding to the bucket list and haven't yet started to make it reality. We are only 50, I think we both have A few years left ..

Unfortunately, I'm not the creative one of my family, that's my dad. I have done some creative things in my life, but I give a pinkey toe to have a fraction of my dad's creative mind. He's been passed for 5 years now and before he left this world he (unknowingly) gave me some great advice. He told me that he was very content throughout his life and he was a very happy soul. I quote his advice Everytime I get a chance. He said, " Cumi, I've never worked a day in my life, I just get paid to do what people want me to do". His creativity supported us all my life with custom woodwork and music. Now I will be able to live as happy as him when I start working for myself after college. Thanks Dad.

My favorite artist is my dad. Singer, songwriter, amazing musician, he supported his family with his passion for music. And in the last days of his life told me he never worked, only got paid doing what he loved. Definitely gave me a new outlook on LIFE...

THIS one is VERY easy, it is exactly what I've written ALL of my essays about. It's been (unbelievably) 4 years now, but my father passed shortly after Christmas from colon cancer that had attacked his lungs. It took him in 2 short years... Which was a little unexpected since he had beat cancer 10 years beforehand, it was very scary, and I was in prison at the time, thank God he survived because I couldn't get a furlough to go to his surgery. The relevance to not only this essay but main reasoning for me starting college at 49 years old is because just because he passed I talked to him on the phone and he unknowingly gave me some awesome advice. He said, "Cumi, I've never worked a day in my life people just pay me to do what I like to do".... Making him, in my opinion, a VERY content fellow and soul. My dad was an excellent provider for my step family and cousins and had a wonderful sense of humor and was a musician and the carpenter. He really could not have said anything better to me when he knew he was about to pass away. SO, I took his words to HEART ❤️❤️❤️... Even though, at the time I was very proud of myself for holding down a job and paying taxes for the first time in 20 years. Over those 20 years I was in and out of jail for drugs and other crimes that finally resulted in prison and almost made me not ever get to see my father again. BUT when my father told me that, I contemplated his life and his attitude on life and started getting paid for things I like to do. I figured since I was already cleaning houses in the winter and mowing lawns and landscaping in the summer at my house, I might as well get paid to do it for others. BUT there's not much business sense floating around the criminal community so I'm taking a business course at CTU to learn how to get paid for doing what I like to do.. THANKS, DAD...

Funny, I was just talking about this the other day to a few friends that don't read as much as I have... I hope my answer is acceptable, my favorite book is actually a series, the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I took my GED test in prison 10 years ago and got a 99% on my reading comprehension portion, which made my teacher a VERY happy fellow, it also made me very happy because it carried me through the math tests that I didn't do all that well on. Before prison I spent 7 months in county jail and the only thing I did while I was in there was read, mostly Stephen King novels and Dean Koontz two of my very favorite authors hands down. I even got lucky enough to get my hands on a few Richard bachman novels which were actually Stephen King before he got so popular. So I hope my answer of what is my favorite book is acceptable in naming five books but one series Stephen King and his dark Tower series actually took me away from the institution, it was my only escape.

My dream life is a life constructed from some excellent advice given from my mom and my dad. Even though they don't know it, they've installed a be picture in my mind that I want to paint... I'm from Washington state, and a MAJOR landmark there is Mt. Rainer, about 5 miles from where I went to grade school. My mom had a placemats with a beautiful photo of the mountain I knew so we'll with a caption that read: "Happiness in is in wanting what you have, not having what you want. " Simply priceless advice... And then with my father's advice , it was more of an off the cuff statement that I took to heart, mostly because it was some of the last words he spoke to me, which is REALLY what made me take a hard look at my father's life. He said, " I never worked a day in my life, people just pay me to do what I want to do... " Since then, I've found ways to make money doing stuff I would be doing anyway, mostly psysical labor, I'm getting to an age in life that I'm needing to work smarter not harder, thus creating my need for college, at 50 years old..

I've never had a finance lesson, frankly, I'm terrible with money, just awful.... And I work everyday!! That's why I decided to take a business class this winter, I've always preferred psysical labor rather than mental work because I would rather be worn out (psyically) at the end of the day, but still have my head clear for things I want to think about... Mainly because I'm pushing 50 years old and don't sit still very well, so I'm looking to become a business person and let my brain do the working, my body is tired... So business owner it is!! The biggest challenge is finding a way to start a business that will hold my attention, I'm thinking about some kind of landscaping business because I love the outdoors and my father had some great advice just before he passed away 2 years ago, he said, " Cumi, I've never worked a day in my life, people just pay me to do what I like to do..." My dad was a carpenter and a musician, and he supported my step-family up until he passed by doing what he likes to do. Since then, I have mostly worked for myself, doing things that I would be doing anyway, but getting paid. This being my financial lesson, I guess, it's important because it can make you a good person without stress and pressure, thanks dad. .