The Road to Success

Getting an education has not been easy. I was not expected to succeed, nor encouraged to do well in school. My only role in my family of seven siblings was to help my mother run the household. While family dynamics were challenging, being removed from them at the age of nine and being placed in foster care was more challenging. During that time, I attended three different elementary schools, which made it difficult to keep up and caused me to fall behind.  

Then in the middle of my sophomore year of high school, I was removed once again. I was 15.  This time I knew that I did not want to attend multiple schools. I advocated for myself to be able to stay in my school. At first the foster parents I was placed with did not agree and wanted me to attend the local high school, since it was close and convenient to their home. As for the social worker, he told me to figure it out, so I did. I asked the staff at my high school which bus stop was close to the foster home, they found one that was close, but not at walking distance. Then I noticed there was a public bus stop near the house. I then proposed that I could take the public bus, at 5 in the morning to catch the 6:15 school bus, to get to school. The social worker and foster parents agreed. I did this for the rest of my sophomore and junior year. It was difficult to wake up early, but it was worth it because it allowed me to stay on track, to complete the necessary requirements, to apply for college. 

Before attending college I have to say I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it or get all my necessary supplies. But I learned about Just in Time. They had a college bound event and I was able to get my first laptop, I still remember it a big dell that was heavy to carry, but that helped me complete many assignments. I also got many furnishings for my dorm as well as the continued support throughout my time in college.

UC Berkeley is a beautiful campus, if you have visited it you know. It is also the number one public institution, a lot of smart people go there. I was not necessarily smart and I can tell you that because I had a brother who skipped kindergarten and attended the same grade the entire time we were in school, I just knew that I had to work hard. That is what I did at UC Berkeley. There were moments I felt like I did not belong and that I wanted to give up and come back home. But I stayed committed to my goal of completing my education. I got connected to the Berkeley Hope Scholars program, the foster youth support program at UC Berkeley and the Chicanx/Latinx Student Development Office. These two programs were pillars in my success, knowing that they wanted me to succeed.

I have since graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Chicano Studies. 

I was recently working as a Transfer Specialist for the Community College Transfer Services/ Transfer Alliance Project through the Center for Educational Partnerships. I worked with community college students that are interested in UC Berkeley or a UC.  

This allowed me to give back and support students who were once in my shoes, and I believe it only takes one person to change a student’s life. I look forward to continuing to give back like the women that have supported me in my educational journey have; to encourage underrepresented students like myself who do not have strong family support.