"Nothing is impossible until it's finished."
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High school. I cringed at this word for the longest time. Honestly. It's a funny story. I was running an errand to my high school's secretary for one of my teachers and I was stopped by the assistant principal. "Mary, you'd make a great teacher." He said.
*Cue the laughter.*
I was a sophomore in high school when this occurred and I was lucky enough to curl my hair and get myself dressed in the mornings since I disliked going to school. I had no intentions of even college-at least I didn't think about what I wanted to do after high school. High school was a time when I lived in the moment. I was involved in athletics, drama and debate, leadership positions, and choir. So you can see why I didn't even think about applying to colleges.
Fast-forward to senior year of high school in February. Everyone had already committed to what school they wanted to attend, and there I was just sitting. Sitting in silence.
What am I going to major in? College? Am I smart enough to get into college? Sure, I'll apply, but I don't think I'll go anywhere.
All these thoughts running in my head, and I hadn't even taken the ACT. (Goodness, remember that?)
Fast forward to now.
Now I am a first year graduate student, here at Oklahoma State University. How I got to this point was a long journey, and it wasn't an easy one either.
There were times during my undergraduate career where I simply did not want to continue anymore. I was ungrateful, I didn't think I had it in me to pursue more than graduating high school, but this year, I have quickly surprised myself.
Growing up, I was shown that school was a priority, and learning about my mother's past is what keeps me going. Pursuing higher education is no where near easy. There are days, when I question my ability, myself, and my future. But what I want you to know about this journey is that I am one step closer in fulfilling what I want to do in this world. I grew up not thinking that I couldn't possibly be a change in this world, but after becoming a master's student. I am learning now that I can.
I am writing this article on Nov. 10, 2016. Two days after the 2016 Presidential Election. The morning after when the election had ended and a winner was announced, I was preparing a lesson: a lesson over diversity.
It occurred to me in those moments of preparing for my lesson that being a graduate teaching assistant and being able to have a voice, as an Asian-American pursing higher education with the childhood realities I had, I was making a real difference in the world.
I was able to be in front of teenagers and 20-something-year-olds and have a voice. A voice that only the power of education can have. I had a moment of humbleness and a moment of being honored. Earlier in the semester, I would be stressed out when I was doing a lesson, and during my lessons, I would go through the motions just to get it done. But now after this election and seeing that me, as a unique individual in the higher education process, I can be a change to someone who may have a different upbringing than me.
It occurred to me in those moments that "education is a powerful tool." As Nelson Mandela would have eloquently put it. But it gave me chills.
I want this article to be a hope to those who may not think they are doing anything but going to class, getting no sleep, and wasting their time and money. In this world, we need educators. We need people who work hard, who come from hard backgrounds, and who come from different backgrounds.
I want this article to be a tool in making a young, female, Filipino-American like me have faith in this world that little girls and boys growing up in various different places, that if they take education seriously and see that it can be powerful and make a change that real good can come out of it.
I am not pursuing a Master's because I will get more money in the position I may have, or even to boost my status with people, I am pursuing this for the future generations. For the girls and boys, men and women after me that will be walking along the same journey that I have, and am still walking. I am not pursuing this Master's for me, I am pursuing it for those who may not think they are smart enough, good enough, or even brave enough to put themselves and their intelligence out there.
I am pursuing a Master's, because I want to make a impact in the classroom, in my field, in my position, in the next place I'll be in, in the places I have been, in the places that I would like to go. I want this degree to be about something bigger than myself, my lack of sleep, or how much money I am sacrificing to obtain this.
I am pursuing higher education, because I truly believe it will be worth it in the end.
