Clatsop Community College (OR) and Vance-Granville Community College (NC).

After completing two vocational certificates in Landscaping and Facility Maintenance at the Tongue Point Job Corps Center, I applied to the local Clatsop community college.

I took general courses for a year and a half. My electives included a Local Government course that had me attend some local legislative meetings for the county and write a report on each.

I also took 3 semesters of World Religions. The first semester centered on early cultures and the relevance of spiritual belief and tribal/shamanistic practices.

The second semester covered the Eastern religious systems including Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Daoism, and several minority systems for smaller cultural groups.

The third semester focused on Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Our professor suffered a medical condition and was unable to teach during the third semester and another teacher took over. The book curriculum stayed the same, however, the new instructor suggested a field trip to Portland to visit some temples and so I and a few classmates went on a trip.

We visited a Mosque where the men and women went into separate sections of the building and received differing instruction on the principles of faith and the teachings of Muhammed. I received a copy of the Koran which I still keep.

Afterwards we visited a synagogue attended by Reform Jews and got to speak with some members of the community. Reform Judaism differs from the Orthodox faith you find in Israel.

Reform Judaism is the largest Jewish denomination in America. It emphasizes adapting Jewish tradition to contemporary needs, with a focus on social justice, gender equality, and making Judaism accessible to a wider audience. They are cool with interfaith couples, ordaining women and openly gay people as rabbis. They view the Torah as a living document that evolves with time.

More recently, I am attending Vance-Granville community college through an online degree program for Business Administration. I enjoy the classwork and the modules in the learning platform they use.

I hope to graduate sometime in 2024 and get a job in banking or finances.