My journey as a student has been a journey of overcoming myself. As a high school student I remember much of the conversation surrounding college being one of excellence and aspirations that I had not dreamt of for myself. Friends had clear trajectories prepared for themselves, dreams of their own that they were prepared to work towards. Myself? Perhaps I could play D1 soccer? With the majority of my youth being blessed to play soccer on multiple teams at a competitive level, there was a chance. However, I realized when I was invited to an Olympic Development Program, that there was a wall of networks made of players, parents, and coaches, and I was not amongst them. Along with a series of injuries in my senior year left me afraid. Afraid of injury and the risk that a single injury could leave myself and my family drowned in debt that I would never understand. So with the dream of continuing the path of an athlete, I had to confront myself outside of the sport I had known all my life and find who I wanted to be. That confrontation with myself left me crippled with doubt and anxiety. 

My family has always been patient and mindful of giving space to figure things out for myself, always in the background for support. Always there to support things I found interest in and support me if they weren’t a good fit. I never quite found inspiration or an internal drive to aspire in the things I took interest in. I could never see myself in some of the things I took interest in and found it difficult to blaze an unknown path for myself. I had never seen someone like me as a trumpet player outside of a mariachi. I had never seen someone like me in the field of academia. What I had seen was someone like me in the field of construction and so the furthest my imagination could take me was a career as an Architect. However I quickly realized that was not to my liking and withdrew myself from furthering my education until I was more dedicated in advancing myself academically. I wished as a student I had more time to ponder and explore more careers. I wished there were more resources and people dedicated to believing in and developing students’ interests, instead of it feeling as lonely as it did. 

Six years later I returned to my academics at HCC to pursue an Associates in Communications Specializing in Mass Media. In my time away from studies Obama’s presidency ended, Trump’s time in office had come and gone, and Biden was elected in the wake of a global pandemic. There was a radical social polarization that was fueled by socio-economic conditions as well as the media that affected myself and the people around me. I wanted to understand that polarization to be better equipped to help people around me understand the ever changing social climate. With the help and support of everyone around me, I have managed to make it to a place I had not foreseen for myself. And through my experiences with people who I cherish, I have gained the needed confidence to continue and achieve things that have not come conventionally to me or my family. I plan on pursuing a Masters in Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) and becoming the first librarian in my family as well as the first recipient of a Masters degree. I will most certainly make detours and face setbacks on the journey ahead, but I take pride in the wisdom I’ve gained from my past experiences. One step at a time, and before I know it, I’ll have overcome myself.