Tag: Identity, Upbringing & Educational Upward Mobility

 I grew up in Dallas, Texas, in a family where college wasn’t part of the picture. My grandparents never had the chance to go to school, my dad had to leave high school to help support his family, and my mom immigrated from Mexico in middle school and finished with a high school degree. Still, my parents always pushed us to work hard and stay focused.
They used to say, “the harder you work, the luckier you are,” and warned us never to get comfortable with complacency. That mindset stuck with me. My brother and sister were the first to go to college, and I followed, eventually leaving Texas to attend a competitive school and play collegiate softball.
I’m studying biology with the goal of working in nuclear energy because I care deeply about sustainability and the future of our planet. It hasn’t always been easy. I had to figure a lot out on my own without a parental figure to guide me by proofreading an essay or explaining the do’s and don’ts of college applications, but that journey taught me how much strength can come from self-determination.
Today, my siblings and I have become examples for our younger cousins and proof that the cycle can be broken. We’ve made education part of our family’s story and are building a future where hard work and high standards are just the baseline.

Moving from Dallas, Texas to Wesleyan University was both exciting and unsettling. It was my first time being so far from home, and I was eager to start fresh, but finding out I had been assigned to a random triple instead of the double I requested left me annoyed and nervous. I imagined it would be chaotic sharing such a small space with two strangers.

Over time, though, that situation turned out to be one of the best parts of my freshman year. One of my roommates, a volleyball player who was also in STEM, understood the busy balance of classes and athletics. The other, a writing major with a laid-back personality, brought a creative and easygoing energy to the room.

We didn’t always spend time together outside of our dorm, but we formed a close bond through everyday moments—getting ready before going out, late-night talks about whatever was on our minds, and looking after each other when someone wasn’t feeling well. Each relationship developed naturally, and the three of us found a rhythm that worked.

What started as something I didn’t want ended up teaching me a lot about flexibility and trust. Leaving Dallas had felt disorienting, but learning to adapt in that shared space helped me find comfort in uncertainty. Now, when I face unexpected or uncomfortable situations, I’m more open to them, knowing they can lead to experiences and connections I never would have planned for.