I Stayed In School Through A Pandemic To Inspire My Latinos | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

I Stayed In School Through A Pandemic To Inspire Other Latinos, And I Encourage All Latinos To, Too

I wanted to take a semester off but I didn't because I want to inspire all Latino students.

1054
I Stayed In School Through A Pandemic To Inspire Other Latinos, And I Encourage All Latinos To, Too
Melanie Oliva

College is hard. Studying is hard. Add being a first-generation Latin student to the equation, in Trump's America, and we "have" to stay motivated. This is all hard.

But this is where I decided to stop listing the negatives thrown at me and focus on the positives I can bring to the table.

Our parents came to this country for a better life, the many sacrifices they endured, and the fears they faced is one of many reasons to continue. Finishing up the spring semester all online made me realize how distant I had become from my roots.

Stop stressing yourself out because you have to do it for your parents.

Time and time again, the same answer I often see on social media or between friends, when asked why they went to college becomes quite repetitive. They do it for their parents because they owe them for coming to America years ago.

I fully respect each and every Latino that has sacrificed their lives in their homeland, to bring their children or raise them in a better place.

My own mother came from Siguatepeque, Honduras before I was born, to make money for a better life for herself, my brother, and me.

The problem with always putting our parents first comes when we become overwhelmed by the pressure we place on ourselves.

Yes. The pressure WE placed on ourselves. We have to learn to acknowledge our victories, failures, and lessons we achieved by ourselves. For me, this started when I decided to not pursue law, after years of my mother advising me I do.

I began communicating that I was unhappy studying law and I liked to write instead. That is when I chose my career before I graduated high school in 2017. Small steps like these can have a long-lasting impact.

Praise yourself for going to college, even if you dropped or failed out of a course.

This one is tough and hit right to the heart for me. I am a perfectionist at heart, I like things to flow altogether, and I hate setbacks. But guess what? College humbled me in the sense that I learned to accept my bad grades, tough critiques, and setbacks within my graduating year.

This is all a part of our journey as college students.

My best advice for anyone who just dropped a course decided to take the semester off or failed a class last semester would be to simply let it go.

Do not let the overwhelming pressure and feeling overpower you. When I was struggling in a course and had to drop two in my college career (so far) I would go outside, scream, cry, and allow myself to feel whatever emotion I was feeling.

But at the same time, I would tell myself, "This is another step towards my success, towards my goals, and it is okay that I failed. I am still capable."

Remember you are a strong, capable, and worthy Latinx human being.

Something I began to feel creeping on me was seeing my white friend's opportunities given to them because they had connections. They had parents, grandparents, or siblings who put in a good word for them.

I am not saying that having connections gets you out there, I am a living testimony of getting noticed when I am not a big deal. I still have doubts, fears, and I am not the perfect writer.

I just think we Latinos place too much pressure on ourselves because we do want to make it, for us, our family, and for our culture.

It's Hispanic Heritage month, remembering our ancestors who prevailed through many battles.

I honor those men and women who gave their all to come to the States for a better life. I hold high all DACA students who have faced so many wins and losses, but still, work and study to advance.

We are all facing some battle while working and studying, but do not lose hope. There is no assigned timeline for all of us. Some of us finish faster than others, but the goal is to all make it to a place where we are happy.

It may look different for each one of us.

Report this Content
girl with a hat

This is for the girls who have dealt with an emotionally, mentally, physically or verbally abusive father.

The ones who have grown up with a false lens of what love is and how relationships should be. The ones who have cried themselves to sleep wondering why he hurts you and your family so much. This is for all the girls who fall in love with broken boys that carry baggage bigger than their own, thinking it's their job to heal them because you watched your mother do the same.

Keep Reading...Show less
Blair Waldorf Quote
"DESTINY IS FOR LOSERS. IT'S JUST A STUPID EXCUSE TO WAIT FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN INSTEAD OF MAKING THEM HAPPEN." - BLAIR WALDORF.

The world stopped in 2012 when our beloved show "Gossip Girl" ended. For six straight years, we would all tune in every Monday at 9:00 p.m. to see Upper Eastside royalty in the form of a Burberry headband clad Blair Waldorf. Blair was the big sister that we all loved to hate. How could we ever forget the epic showdowns between her and her frenemy Serena Van Der Woodsen? Or the time she banished Georgina Sparks to a Christian summer camp? How about that time when she and her girls took down Bart Bass? Blair is life. She's taught us how to dress, how to be ambitious, and most importantly, how to throw the perfect shade.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

11 Moments Every College Freshman Has Experienced

Because we made it, and because high school seniors deserve to know what they're getting themselves into

433
too tired to care

We've all been there. From move-in day to the first finals week in college, your first term is an adventure from start to finish. In honor of college decisions coming out recently, I want to recap some of the most common experiences college freshmen experience.

1. The awkward hellos on move-in day.

You're moving your stuff onto your floor, and you will encounter people you don't know yet in the hallway. They live on your floor, so you'll awkwardly smile and maybe introduce yourself. As you walk away, you will wonder if they will ever speak to you again, but don't worry, there's a good chance that you will make some great friends on your floor!

Keep Reading...Show less
laptop
Unsplash

The college years are a time for personal growth and success. Everyone comes in with expectations about how their life is supposed to turn out and envision the future. We all freak out when things don't go exactly as planned or when our expectations are unmet. As time goes on, we realize that the uncertainty of college is what makes it great. Here are some helpful reminders about life in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Lessons I Learned My Freshman Year

The first year of college opens your eyes to so many new experiences.

80
johnson hall
Samantha Sigsworth

Recently I completed my freshman year of college, and boy, what an experience. It was a completely new learning environment and I can't believe how much I learned. In an effort to save time, here are the ten biggest lessons I learned from my first year of college.

1. Everyone is in the same boat

For me, the scariest part of starting school was that I was alone, that I wouldn't be able to make any friends and that I would stick out. Despite being told time and time again that everyone had these same feelings, it didn't really click until the first day when I saw all the other freshman looking as uneasy and uncomfortable as me. Therefore, I cannot stress this enough, everyone is feeling as nervous as you.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments