Reaching my Dreams

Many decide on what they should do with their lives and many don’t have a single clue. Who really knows there calling on the earth and what is there true purpose. Is college really supposed to help a person figure that out? Through everything I heard people are meant to go to college and get a degree to make a living for themselves. My decision was that it was a true fact based on my values and beliefs and the people who steered me towards an educational path.

My decision to attend college was based on obtaining an independent status in the real world. I wanted to receive a higher degree that will help me obtain a career that I would enjoy. I decided to go to college so I can get a job that I can wake up every morning to with a smile and not be dreading it. Another reason was to make my family members proud of me for being the first to attend college. I decided to attend North Central College (NCC) because it in a suburban area, which I had never experienced before. Since, I live in the Southside of Chicago, which is dominantly Hispanic and African-American, I wanted to get a feel of a suburban and dominantly white area. Another reason I attended NCC is because it was a private and small college. This factor mattered a lot to me because I went to an all-girl catholic high school, which was also a small environment. I felt by coming to NCC, it would also feel like another family since everybody would know everyone, and it would like my high school experience. I also didn’t just want to be another student in a professors’ classroom, I wanted him/her to know my name. I wanted to get the professors’ individual attention when it was necessary for me to understand the lecture or the concept. Lastly, I attended NCC because it wasn’t too far from home. I wanted to be able to go back in forth from home and to school. I wasn’t ready to be far away from home but I did want a little distance. I wanted NCC to be like a home away from home. These were all the factors that I took into consideration for attending college and most especially attending North Central College.

My educational values and beliefs factored into coming to college because I wanted a higher education, so I could out rule the fact that Hispanic girls do not seek high education or independence. I didn’t want to be the stereotypical Hispanic girl that drops out of high school, and works at a low wage job or is pregnant or relying on a man. Being a Honduran-American girl from the Southside of Chicago is difficult because everyone doubts you will succeed. Everyone just believes you will be like the rest of the Hispanic girls in the neighborhood. I value and know where I came from, but I value education more and I know what it can do for one’s self. I want to take the opportunity to be part of the elite class, have multiple skills, and gain knowledge. Those were the things I valued that made me come to college. I wanted to pursue more for myself and show others that I am not the typical Hispanic girl. My belief that college would help me become a better person and become more knowledgeable and learn new things about myself and take different risks factored into coming to college. I was just yearning to become a better me and I felt college could do that for me. Lastly, I value that if I pursue the career I desire and am well off, I feel I can give more to my children then what I received from my parents. My Hispanic culture background took over myself being to prove the stereotypes wrong and showed my educational values and beliefs. My mother is the person who socialized me to value education because she didn’t have the opportunity to receive a higher education in her country. Growing up she would always push me to get good grades and join sports or activities. She would always support me and give me harsh advice that helped shape the person I am now. She helped socialize me to value education because I would see how she would struggle with