A Change of Mind

I grew up in a family where hard labor was the only way of survival, sustainability meant a roof over your head and food on the table. Conversations of education were not a part of our daily lives. As I started a family of my own and became a mother of five, like any parent, I wanted them to have what I never had—a secure home, two parents in their lives, an education, a chance to go to college. Yet our dreams are not always those of our children. I had conversations with my children about the importance of an education, but it was not enough. My oldest daughter would come home from school commenting on how much she hated school and teachers, often showing her emotions with tears and sharing the unpleasant experiences she had at school that day. Because of my beliefs of teachers being right at all times, I would tell her, “If you would do what you are suppose to do in class, teachers would leave you alone.”

My story with UNP began in the fall of 2005; I attended my first Advocate Training provided by United for Kids. I learned how to navigate the school system and my rights as a parent within it, among other resourceful topics. It was a very difficult, eye-opening process for me. I cried myself to sleep the night after learning about my rights as a parent. Had I known before, that no one has the right to make our children feel unsafe in school, my daughter’s story would have been different. I failed to protect my child because I didn’t know any better. I realized that I needed to educate myself in order to better support my children in their own individual education. I must add, I have traveled a long way into the path of the education of my family and others in the community as well as my own. I cannot change the bad experiences that my children have had in the past as far as school goes, but I will make sure that those bad experiences do not continue to happen. Supporting other parents and making sure that their voices are heard is fundamental for a positive change in the education of our children.

I will be the first to obtain a degree in my family but I will not be the last. At UNP I have learned to share the desire of wanting something better in life. Something that can only be obtained through education, the confidence and knowledge needed to succeed and be successful in meeting your professional goals. Over the summer I obtained my GED, I am now enrolled at SLCC working on my Associate’s Degree in Social Work. Because the meaning of sustainability has changed for me, this is only the beginning of my goals for the future.