He responded, “A history degree won’t pay the bills, why not become a nurse? They get paid well.” I told him I was not passionate about nursing and the thought of blood made me sick. Besides, I wanted to teach not work in a hospital.
Choice
1 ...my work is not “them,” “me,” it’s “us” together in solidarity.
My Commitment of Teaching Through a Social Justice Lens
...with dedication and patience, anything is possible. I learned this from my parents, and I want to prove to everyone, and to myself, that it is true.
Why I Chose Teaching
1 Have you ever felt like you’re alone in a boat at sea? Have you ever wondered if it’s really worth continuing to fight for your dreams, in spite of all the obstacles?
Why I Fight?
I understood that going to school was the solution to help my community.
Awakened
By then, I had already left school. In my life, there was nothing else except for my home, my work and my children...
A New Woman
He used to tell me “I want to share a little bit of my life with you. I’ve suffered a lot, I saw my mother suffer.” I said, “You’re repeating what I told you about my life or something like that.”
My Life
...what I have learned and want to share, is that the immigrant life journey offers us an opportunity to choose a bigger story, and claim the potential for learning-healing-transformation that we all have, because of our own history and life experience. This is inner work we have to do, an individual contribution to the collective good.
Healing Cultural Roots
My mom’s house was three blocks away. I went outside and I could see two children running in the middle of the street barefoot. They didn’t stop until they got to the house. They embraced me crying and saying, “Mom, mommy, you came back! We missed you so much, mom.”
Fighting For My Children
10 Wrapped up like a little tamale, we go to my dear friend Mariana’s house. Four months later we have the court date to make Paloma legally mine.