The run-down neighborhood where I grew up was torn down years ago to make way for a subdivision. The memories remain.
I was 8 when I realized I was poor. There were things I didn’t have — adequate clothing for the winter, food beyond beans and cornbread, and any hope of receiving items on my Christmas wish list. What I did have was the knowledge that I might be immersed in poverty but I didn’t want to stay there.
Despite the circumstances, my family urged me to finish high school. Getting pregnant at 17 added an additional hurdle, but my son’s grandmother and great-grandmother stepped in to care for him so that I could graduate.
I went to work at Hardee’s. Soon I had a higher paying position at the Ryobi plant. I rode with coworkers until I could afford a vehicle of my own. That car was the ticket out of my circumstances, allowing me to drive to Greenville Technical College and start taking courses toward my goal: a degree in radiography.
By then, my son was 4. I was working full time, taking classes and caring for a small child. I was struggling with a Spanish class and trying to get through biology at the end of an exhausting workday. It was too much. I quit. Two years later, I found my way back. I completed my prerequisites and learned I’d been accepted into the radiologic technology program. That was a big day.
Since then, I’ve earned two additional degrees. I’ve worked for Greenville Memorial Hospital for many years and have returned to Greenville Tech, first as an instructor and now as program director. I realized a childhood dream of living in a new home that I purchased with my own money. I have inspired my son and brother to follow in my college footsteps.
If I could talk to my younger self, I’d say you’re going to make it. As a child, I never thought I’d be a health care professional with a master’s degree. I want my students to know that they can travel the same path to success.
As we celebrate National Radiologic Technology Week Nov. 5-11, I hope others will pursue education that leads to a better life in a field that also betters the lives of patients.
Yolunda Richards is an academic program director for the School of Health Sciences-Medical Imaging at Greenville Technical College.
