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Chapter V
(College Years)
“Striving to go forward”
Keaton had completed thirteen years of public school
receiving nothing below an “A” in his classes. He
had missed only one day in the tenth grade and one
in the eleventh grade, both due to illness. He was a
prime candidate for college. He had no desire to go
away to school nor did his parents feel comfortable
having him leave home and the security of family
and friends. So with New River Community College
close by, he enrolled.
He had honed his computer skills nearly all his life.
This was a natural choice of careers for him. For
the first time in over four years he found himself
in school without the benefit of having his parents
nearby. The student body is made up of people from
six surrounding counties and he knew few of them.
He was befriended by counselors and tutors. Keaton
enjoyed going to college and sharing this fact with
others. This is what many of his classmates were doing
and what he expected to be doing. He experienced
the let-down feeling that often accompanies the
transition from the feeling of success and being