August 19, 2022

Dear Chattanooga State Community, 

Congratulations on making it through the first week of classes! It has been so good to see you on campus and at all of our instructional sites—including 20 high schools.

Many of you are taking college classes for the very first time and might be feeling a little overwhelmed or intimidated. If so, that means you are normal! Many new students feel that way. I certainly did when I started college many years ago.

I will never forget my very first college class at a community college in Florida. I was so happy that I had found the classroom that I felt like I had made a big accomplishment just sitting in my seat. I was surprised that on the first day, the teacher started lecturing. That was not my experience in high school. About 30 minutes into her lecture, I realized that I had not written down one word of what she said. Feeling embarrassed, I took out a piece of paper and a pen and started writing.

After the class was over, I realized what a mistake I had made on the very first day of my very first class. I wondered if it meant I did not have what it took to go to college. No one else in my immediate family had graduated from college, so, maybe I wouldn’t either. Instead of letting my self-doubt stop me from moving forward, I used it as motivation to work hard.

I share this story because I know that each of you will make mistakes during your college career. We all do. Do not let mistakes stop you from moving forward and achieving your dreams. Learn from them and know that you will do better next time.

I hope you have a fantastic semester! 

Sincerely,
Rebecca Ashford, Ed.D.
President

 


Student Resources

We have tons of resources to help you complete your goals from academic support to general support. Tutoring is a service that we offer that can help you be successful in your classes from writing to math to tutoring in general, we want to help you.  

In-person and virtual tutoring  

When Mark Monterroso returned to college, he knew math could keep him from achieving his goals. He turned to the Math Center for help. He went from making Fs in high school in math to making all, well, we think he can tell the story better than us.