Student Editor: Glen Stinsman

There are times during the semester, usually during midterms and finals, that I ask myself, "Why am I here?" Is it for a career, personal enrichment, or am I some kind of sadomasochist? I'm sure that every student here at KPC has a definite answer to the question, "Why am I here?" My reasons, my choices, for returning to college were bound to a different life, maybe even some would say, a different person. Do you feel like that sometimes, that you are not who you once were? Some of these changes in character cannot be measured by days, months, and years. It is the changes that are so discrete, yet so encompassing, it is as if you don't realize that those changes had been made. Yet, the question begs to be answered, "Why am I here?"

It was a different life I led before returning to college. I lived paycheck to paycheck in the Emerald City, Seattle, seeking fame and fortune between my odd jobs of washing dishes and stocking shelves at a local grocery store. I had visions of grandeur, that through my hardship and toil I would rise above the masses and become a great writer in the vein of J.D. Salinger, W. Sommersett Maughm, and Hunter S. Thompson. I would express the subtle nuances in the life and livelihood of a member of a lost generation referred to as the "Slacker Generation." I was a suburban guerilla seeking solace in the revolutions of Che Guevara, all twisted up in my cynicism and disillusionment.

I had a roommate that had moved from California to Washington due to his addiction to amphetamines. He left his childhood home and a fiancé that wasn't willing to relinquish the monkey on her back. Many nights, when the soul becomes introspective and a tad melancholy, he would assassinate his own character because of a vice that had robbed him of over ten years of his life and his true love still bound tightly to the disease. He would constantly harangue me for my addictions, my naiveté, and my unwillingness to return to college. Unfortunately, the Siren's song was too much for my friend, and he returned to her fatal song. It was my roommate, my friend, which was one the catalysts for my returning to college.

Whenever people ask why I'm at college I always remark that I'm seeking a new career, security, and a degree. In reality, I think of the many people, not just my roommate in Seattle, who motivated me to return to college. There is my family, my friends, and the people who didn't believe that I could ever receive a degree. (There is something about being told that I can't do something that always motivates me to prove to somebody, hell anybody, they're wrong.) What is your story? Why are you here? The KPC Connection is always interested in hearing your story.

Staff Editor: Suzie Kendrick, KPC Community Relations

Change is around the corner and the chill of uncertainty is blowing through the hallways of Kenai Peninsula College. With the Director and three faculty members retiring and another faculty member resigning, KPC will have lots of new energy within the ranks next semester. But new energy can be scary. It's hard enough to go out on a limb and replace your favorite slippers or flannel shirt. In spite of the holes or the frayed edges, they are known quantities. They don't require getting used to or "breaking in" time. Even when you do decide to bite the bullet and buy replacements, you still reserve a special spot in your drawer for your old friend. It's human nature to become comfortable with the well worn and well known. Habit requires no extra energy or effort. It just is. Even when it's not a perfect thing, at least it's more certain than the unknown. One thing is certain, change requires a period of adjustment; a break-in period before this new thing feels like your own. One never knows if it will be as good as the one you've been forced to give up. Something new always implies a gamble, a risk. Who knows if the new quantity will ever feel as familiar as what has been given up? Will they ever provide the familiar support that could be counted on before? My message to anyone who feels anxiety about the changes we face here at KPC is this. Embrace change, expect the best, or it will eat you up. Resisting change is like trying to hold back the tide. You will fail. We have to look at the changes that are coming as wonderful opportunities to surround ourselves with individuals who have fresh ideas. KPC will benefit by having a new leader who may look at the campus in ways others so familiar cannot. Expect the best. We may just get it!