By Ruth Palpan—
When I was a young girl living in Peru, my father always had an influence on my education. My father was a very successful professor, acquiring five different degrees throughout his lifetime. At a young age, I developed a similar dream to my father’s but sadly my life had other plans. My mother was also a huge inspiration to approaching my goals. Whenever I struggled, she always pushed me forward.
I received my first bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1984 and, this coming May 2012, I will earn my second B.A. in Spanish. The young girl in Peru had no idea it would take about 28 years just to get from my first degree to my second. Under tremendous circumstances, my life took a different journey, yet I always thought positive, never giving up.
My first obstacles came when I immigrated to the United States in 1987. The difficulties arose in trying to understand and adapt to the language and the cultural. However, I was determined to learn this new language; I got up every morning at 5 a.m. and learned five new words of the English language.
I struggled to learn the language but I eventually taught myself a good amount of the English language. The difficulty in the language was primarily what had a strayed me from pursing my education because I intended on receiving my education here in the U.S. instead of my home country Peru.
Graduating at this age has been quite difficult as well; I still do not know how my father did it. I would not have graduated if I had not studied endless hours and lost sleep over presentation and papers; I had to sacrifice most of my time so that I had enough time to understand the material especially since I was still learning English; the grades I earn were definitely more of achievements than rewards.
However, all my hard work and determination will pay off this May. My life is not unique by any means. I know that there are many individuals, young and old, that have had trouble with school and had to take some time off.
To them, as well as new students, who continue their education, I encourage you to pursue and work hard towards your dreams and your goals. I know that obstacle exist, yet they can be overcome, just as I have overcome mine.