Vanessa Medina Baez

Proud daughter of migrant Mexican parents that did not have the opportunity to go to school in order to work to help support their families at a young age. I began translating for my mother at the age of five during my school conferences, and at the age of eight moved to Mexico with my family. Upon returning to the U.S. at the age of seventeen, I began to work in the afternoons while finishing high school. I did not view college as an option since no one in my immediate family had attended college. During my senior year in high school, a recruiter came to speak to our class about enrolling in a community college near my home and explained how to qualify for financial aid to attend. I made the decision to pursue an education to break generational cycles and to have more opportunities in life than my parents did. I have now obtained an A.A., B.A., and M.Ed. followed by my younger siblings who have also pursued higher education. I have been working from the age of seventeen and attending school full time, it has not been an easy journey but it has been a life of faith, perseverance, and growth. I hope to motivate my future students to pursue their goals as well, the key to success is to not give up.