It was 1989 and I was three years old when my family decided to leave the Dominican Republic and move to Boston. I grew up in a single-parent household and was one of five children. At the age of 17, I was blessed with my now six-year-old son whose birth inspired me to enroll in my freshman year of high school. Although my journey toward getting my high school diploma was a bit trying at times, I graduated in 2006, the first high school graduate in my family. Soon after graduating from high school, I realized that my responsibilities as a mother also included achieving financial sufficiency. It would allow me to establish a better way of life for me and my son. Obtaining a college degree, therefore, became the next educational goal that I worked toward accomplishing. In September 2006, following my high school graduation, I enrolled at

Roxbury Community College to continue my education and remained there for the next three years. During my time at RCC, I juggled my course load, a part-time job and the responsibility of running a single-parent household. I was able to progress and achieve academic success with the unconditional support and understanding of my professors. It enabled me to move on to the next stepping stone in my path toward higher education. I graduated from RCC in June 2009 with a liberal arts degree with a dual concentration in biological science and social science. I am now attending Simmons College as a first-year transfer student and working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing with a minor in business management. RCC has served as the foundation of my education, and more important, as the gateway to a four-year college where I continue on a path to success.