Grace Anning Yoshihara

Beyond the Bell Tower

Grace fantasized about celebrating her graduation from NC State from the first day on campus. It was the graduation ceremony that motivated her to devote every hour of each day to earning her degree with high grades and working three jobs. Her graduation ceremony remains a fantasy as the ceremony was cancelled due to Covid-19 circumstances. Grace graduated in May 2020 with a B.S. degree from The Poole College of Management. She has remained at NC State pursuing a graduate degree in Global Luxury Management. She details her strategies in facing hardships such as physical fatigue and developing her identity as a successful woman. Grace shares her life-long passion for Disney beginning with watching all the Disney movies with her mom in Ghana. She has a deep connection to Stitch from “Lilo and Stitch” as she was mischievous as a child. During her time at NC State she landed her dream Disney internship. How to build credit as a college student to be able to buy a car with no family support is super helpful. The episode ends with her sharing her experiences being hungry and homeless during her college career and developing a support system as she had no family to rely on. Grace will be your role-model for sustaining your motivation and commitment to earning a degree while only having herself to rely on. Recorded in summer 2020.