Christine Martin - University of Central Missouri
Christine Martin Southwestern Advantage
My experience with Southwestern Advantage is hard to put into words. I have been working with Southwestern Advantage for over 5 years. It is crazy think of where I was when I started as an 18 year-old girl and to see how far I have come. However, this progress did not come without hard work, dedication and a lot of tears.
I had never been away from home for more than two weeks before I sold books. I had also never had a real job where I worked more than 20 hours a week. So when I told my parents that I was going to sell books for the whole summer in New Hampshire they were a little taken back. My dad was not open to the idea at all, but he knew that if I wanted to do it bad enough that I would find a way.
So I left home and went on my new adventure of selling education books to families I did not know. It was really hard. I cried a lot. I missed home, and wished I could hang out with my friends. However, what I found at the end of it all was that I had pushed myself farther than I ever could. I did something that most people weren’t willing to do, and developed the confidence and communication skills I couldn’t have ever gotten anywhere else. Today I continue to work with Southwestern Advantage because I am constantly growing into the person that I want to be.
