Director of Medical Laboratory Science Training Programs, Professional and Global Education (PaGE)
Paving a Path for Future Generations
The motivation that fueled my desire to attend college was a vision I had throughout my life to advance my family's position in society. My parents only achieved an elementary level education and I wanted to change that. I envision my children all being college educated. In my vision, I am no longer here on this earth, but I can see my children and their children all college educated professionals. I wanted to pave the road for them.
Navigating College After the Military
It was a tough road as I was clueless on how to navigate the college process. I joined the U.S. Army at age 17 because I wanted to serve my country and to secure some financial assistance to help me once I served. My parents were always supportive of me, and they valued education very highly. Once, I returned from the service I embarked on a self-reliant journey. I navigated the college experience with help from some very inspiring professors, but I had to do a lot on my own. Today, my vision is still a driving force in my life. My son graduated from MIT, my daughter is a student here at Cal State LA, and my sixteen year old twins are, well you know teenagers, trying to figure themselves out. The road looks bright and I am excited to see how much farther it will go.
Advice to First-Gen Students
My advice to first generation students is to never take "no" for an answer or " you can't do that, maybe this is better" as a fact. Only you know how much drive you have. If you can envision yourself as something or someone professionally in whatever major, or capacity then you will get there.