It feels so incredible to be back! Not only is it great seeing old friends and making new ones, my classes this semester are inspiring new self-exploration in a way that I have never felt before. I came back a new person with my passion for Education & Education Policy reinforced and after so many amazing experiences working with students around the world, I now have the opportunity to study the systems, structures, and dynamics that govern the Educational world from an academic setting in the Harvard classroom.

It’s hard to explain how it feels to be in a classroom studying ‘yourself’ and the models that were meant to help you- All I can say is that I am grateful to be on this side of the analysis for once. I am acquiring the tools necessary for me to make an impact in the field I feel so passionate about and I can’t wait to bring my perspective to a world that is beginning to be introduced to ‘people like me.’ &Feel free to interpret that as you see fit.

I am not only a Harvard Student or a First-Generation College Student or a First-Generation American or a Minority Student or a ‘Low-Income Student’ – I am all of these things and more, infused in a way that gives my perspective and voice a unique resonance that I have been dying to share since the day I knew I was meant to enact change. Of course, I have quite a bit of growing to do and things that I have yet to learn but know that my voice will be heard.

But my voice isn’t the only one worth hearing- we need your voice too. &Only you can provide it. As long as you continue seeking the tools available through higher education, your voice will resonate louder than mine ever could.

College is a place for growth and I’m happy that Harvard has been relentless in the challenges it has set before me because without these challenges, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“The more life pushes you back, the more you can move forward.” If that’s true, then I’m more than ready for whatever this semester has in store for me.

If you want a more vivid look into what my Harvard experience is like, watch my weekly video series – “Wake-Up Wednesdays.” Let’s Live out our First-Generation College Student Dreams Together.