By Yazmine Garcia, Fellow Class of 2018
Colorado State University
The biggest benefit I have gained by being a Law School Si Se Puede Fellow are my mentors. I truly don’t know where I would be without them. They have helped me edit papers, navigate resources on campus, and maintained open minds with shoulders to cry on when I needed it most. This first year of school has been a rollercoaster for me but now I am nearly done with my first year of college and I could not have done it without the support of my mentors. At the very end of Winter Break and the beginning of Spring semester, I was at the point of giving up. I went through several traumatic events including a terrible car accident and matters involving the health of my family members. I felt as if I could not catch a break and I started to become overwhelmed-often unsure of where to start putting the pieces back together again.
Externally, I typically reflect a strong persona and resilience, but these experiences left me feeling the weakest I had ever felt in my life. In addition, I was far away from home and was coming to terms with being a first-generation college student which means I have experienced and continue to experience things in college which my family will never understand. Sometimes this is the most challenging part. I remember going home and my family members asked me “How’s school going?” and my response was always “It’s going good but it’s hard.” Everyone always replied to me “Well, you can do it.” When my family looks at me, they see hope. They see hope in my goals and dreams. They have trust in what the future holds for me, but they do not know firsthand about the mental strength needed to continue to further my education. Even though for me I was coming back home to my sanctuary, my family, my peace and yet I did not find the same refuge in my family because I am not understood. Though my family believes my future is bright, they are not always supportive of the ways I am changing. In school, I am expanding my horizons. I have been fortunate to learn about the world and my culture thanks to my Ethnic Studies courses. I have grown so much as a person and the more I learn about the world around me, the more I feel I am changing for the better. But when I come home my family views these changes as being negative. I hear a lot of “This is what you go to school and learn?” Although the intentions are never to hurt my feelings it does because I want to make them proud of me. I know I have the full support of my family, but I have felt so alone in this process.
All of this is why I adore and am thankful for my mentors. My mentors are a constant reminder to me that I can graduate college and pursue the career I want to pursue. LSSSP did such an amazing job partnering me with mentors who click with me. I know change is inevitable and sometimes perceived as bad, but I know good will always come from it. Although adjusting to the changes has had an impact on the relationships with my family, I also unknowingly created a new family of three strong women through my mentorship. My mentors are in my corner rooting me on and picking me up when life knocks me down. Susan, Eileen and Cierra, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart because you all see the light inside me even when it gets a little dim. Thank you.
