Readmission: Fill & Download for Free

Holmes and WatsonMy best friend and I saw this film a few days after Christmas back in 2018. We saw the trailer and thought it was gonna be funny. But within less than 20 minutes into this film, I started losing interest in this bland and unfunny comedy. I guess my friend felt the same way because he turned to me and said, “Do you wanna leave?” I agreed, so we got up and walked out. We tried to get refunds but couldn’t. We did however get readmission tickets so we could see a free movie next time we went to the cinema. My friend ended up using his ticket, and I still have yet to use mine.

Last year, a poll was held on the ConservativeHome website asking party members what price they would be willing to pay for Brexit.63% said they would be willing to accept Scottish independence as a price for Brexit, versus 29% who would not.61% said they would be willing to accept “significant damage to the UK economy” (29% would not).59% would accept Northern Ireland leaving the UK (28% would not).And 54% would accept “the Conservative Party being destroyed”. 36% would not.You are welcome to draw your own conclusions.

I was convicted of possession of narcotics when I was young. It was prior to drug courts and diversion programs becoming more frequently used. And it involved the overdose and death of the friend I was using with as well as my own overdose. So I was sentenced to strict, formal probation for five years with weekly PO visits and random testing.I realized that my chances for a career had been blown unless I did something drastic like stop using narcotics. I had completed almost two years at UCLA with great grades until the quarter when I began more than casually using. I stopped attending classes, withdrew from the university, and pursued getting high. So I applied for readmission to UCLA.I was rejected for readmission because of my grades. I called the Admissions Office to speak to the person who sent me the letter and asked her if I could make an appointment to speak with her about the reasons my grades were bad the last quarter I attended.At my meeting, I explained what had happened with my drug use and deteriorating grades. I talked about how I had overdosed and my friend’s death. And I told her that I realized how seriously I had jeopardized my future. I asked her if she would reconsider my application for readmission.To my surprise, she agreed. She took the majority of the grades from the last quarter I attended and filed them as “retroactive withdrawals”. With those grades removed, my GPA was high enough for readmission.Having managed to be readmitted to UCLA, I talked to my probation officer about how to finance the rest of my education. She told me that she would refer me to the state Department of Vocational Rehabilitation to see if they would help. When I first met with the rehab counselor, he told me that DVR paid for all the fees and books as well as an allowance for supplies—at one of the state universities. Would I reconsider and apply to CSULA?No, I said, I would not. I had been readmitted to UCLA and I wanted to UCLA. I talked about the value of a degree from UCLA over the value of a degree from CSULA for me with a felony record. He told me he would take it to his supervisor but not to get my hopes up. He took a copy of my readmission letter and told me he would call in a week or so.My voc rehab counselor called in two days and told me that his supervisor and everyone else agreed that if I could get readmitted to UCLA, I deserved the chance to attend and they would pay for my expenses to attend UCLA. They gave me full funding to finish my degree.So I enrolled and attended UCLA, ready to study and do well. Within two quarters I was on the Honors Program. I completed my degree at UCLA and graduated with honors with the funding from Voc Rehab with a BA in Cultural Anthropology, specializing in the area of México.I eventually went on to get a certificate in Accounting from UCLA, two Masters degrees, and a doctorate in psychology, PsyD.Even though I had a felony record, when I went to apply for jobs, the BA with honors from UCLA stood out more than my record did. I didn’t have problems finding jobs because of my record. I didn’t have a problem with professional licenses on which I had to disclose my conviction.I eventually petitioned the court to reverse the conviction, which was granted with certain stipulations that I would always need to disclose the felony conviction for professional licenses and in a few other cases, and that as a felon, I would never be permitted to own a firearm.For me, the way to get hired, even though I was a felon, was to beat the odds, graduate from a top university with honors and never look back. My story, though, wasn’t just about me. It was about the many, many people that helped me along the way. It was about being determined to give back once I had made it. And I’ve tried to live life that way since then.