While Vail isn't sure where she'll end up, she is sure where she is going to be spending the fall semester and is excited to be coming back. 'I'm hoping maybe one day I can use my education to make the world a better place. She wants to take classes needed for Sac State's Master's in Biology program.

'If one road isn't the right road for you, try a different path.'Īfter graduating in May from Sacramento State with her Bachelor's degree in Geography, Vail plans to come back to ARC. The goal is to get through it,' Vail says. 'If you find yourself at a roadblock and you don't think you can do it, maybe find a different route. Looking back, Vail advises current and future students that they find their own path and are open to adjusting as needed. While transferring, Vail says ARC counselors were able to tell her exactly what she needed to get done. She found that she was able to complete her undergraduate studies through the school, and that the transfer to Sacramento State was relatively easy. One of the things that Vail noted is that at ARC, she had the support she needed while she figured out exactly what she enjoyed learning. And I'm glad that I went to ARC because if I went to a university I would have wasted so much money trying to figure out what I enjoyed.' And now I had changed my major quite a few times while I was there. ARC was local and affordable and my mom had gone there,' Vail says. 'I originally chose ARC because I didn't have the funding to go to a university. In Rebecca Vail's journey at American River College, she changed majors four times, starting off with Aerospace Engineering before moving on to Mechanical Engineering, then trying out Computer Science before realizing she wanted to study Geography. Rebecca Vail Alum / Geography / American River College

'If one road isn't the right road for you, try a different path.'

Dream Man by Linda Howard