This is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to Michelle, customer of our CubeSmart store in Washington D.C., for sharing her story with us.
Michelle Brecken, 20, headed into her junior year at The Catholic University of America to study psychology. But that’s not her first choice for a major.
Last semester, she was forced to drop out of nursing school when she missed the minimum GPA requirement by .03 points.
“It was not my best moment,” Michelle said. “I was heartbroken because I knew from my freshman year of high school I wanted to be a nurse. I knew exactly what I wanted. All my dreams were taken away in one second.”
She said she appealed the decision but the dean of nursing was adamant that Michelle had not met the standard. Michelle learned of her academic fate during her final exam last semester, when a B was not enough for her to remain in the nursing program. She needed a B+.
Michelle shared her story with us at our store at 645 Taylor St., NE, in Washington D.C., as she was moving into her dorm that day. She had stored her belongings at our store over the summer. Michelle received help from her father, John, her mother, Maureen, and her 23-year-old brother Chris.
The family lives in Milford, Mass. Michelle selected Catholic University because her brother was already a student there. Chris graduated in 2016. She also enjoyed the small classes and the “city feel, campus feel” of the university.
Michelle, who worked at a Staples store in Massachusetts over the summer, said her family is very close. Her mother was the source of Michelle’s inspiration to be a nurse because that was her profession. Maureen was upset the dean didn’t accommodate Michelle’s appeal, but she advised Michelle to simply work harder.
“I decided I’m just going to keep going,” Michelle said. “I’m going to work harder. I’m going to bulk up on my classes to get my degree…I have a goal that I plan to reach.”
