我的旅程:作为第一代大学生宝博体育

“梦想成真”是我对任何问我留学经历的人的描述. 不是因为你通常的原因——比如旅行、不可思议的历史和人. 而是因为，和很多人不同，我不能说“我从没想过”——我想过. 我在中学的时候就知道这是一个选择，而我在大学只有一个学期, I achieved that almost lifelong goal. The same can't be said for my family. As you all know, Cuba is a communist country. In 1983, my father was sent to Berlin to work in a factory. Life was much better than in Cuba, but still not ideal. 他会告诉我，他和他的朋友们是如何走到他们家的屋顶上，眺望墙的另一边的. They imagined how much better their lives would be. 他从来没有想过他会有一个女儿站在另一边. 我记得在“勃兰登堡门”用FaceTime给他打电话，看到他眼里含着泪水. 这对我来说是一个重要的时刻，而不仅仅是另一件在游客名单上划上勾的事情.

Here’s the thing, I'm a first-generation college student. 我不仅是我们家第一个上大学的人，也是美国的第一代大学生. I come from Camaguey, Cuba. 我的家庭很卑微，和许多人一样，他们想来美国追逐梦想. Rather than for themselves, it was for me.

I came to the United States when I was 7 years old. 我不懂英语，三年级不及格，因为我连英语都不会读. 我的学校没有ESL课程，因为当时路易斯维尔没有那么多拉美裔人. 我必须全力以赴，为我的教育而工作. College was never a choice; it was a guarantee. 我不知道我怎么负担得起，但我知道这是我的目标.

I went to Western High School here in Louisville, Kentucky. It helps students from low-income families go to college. 在那里, 我得到了一个千载难逢的机会，能够在高中三年级的时候全日制上大学. With this opportunity, 高中毕业时，我获得了副学士学位和63多个大学学分，准备转入大学. I graduated cum laude with a 4.6平均绩点. I was proud of myself but knew this was only the beginning. Thanks to my hard work, 奉献, 和驱动, 我现在有足够的奖学金，可以免费接受教育. 我于2018年8月开始就读于路易斯维尔大学, 到了9月，我开始填写2019年春季学期在法国里维埃拉与CEA一起宝博体育的文件.

作为一个非公民，作为我家里第一个不仅上大学而且宝博体育的人, I needed all the guidance I could get, and CEA was there for me the whole way. Whether via email, 电话, 文本, 不管是什么——他们总是以各种方式帮助我，以确保我能实现我的目标.

很多人问我:如果你懂西班牙语，为什么不去西班牙留学呢? And here's the answer. 尽管这可能令人震惊，但我想去一个完全不同的地方. 一个我不懂语言的小镇，我知道英语不会占主导地位. 我想感受一下我母亲来到美国所经历的挣扎. 我想向自己证明，我可以在我所处的最具挑战性的环境中建立起韧性，发光发亮，取得成功.

I have no regrets. 这不仅让我更加感激我的家人，感谢他们在一无所有的情况下忍受了这样的变化. CEA offered me guidance and a home; meanwhile, my mother had to build all of that on her own here. I learned independence in a way beyond words.

四个月后，法国成了我的家，因为它让我没有成长，但是 开花 into a person I didn’t know I could be. It allowed me to learn about others and their lives. 在国外, 我试着和我去过的每个国家的当地人交谈(总共9个)。, and I found that as humankind we are all fairly similar. We are looking for prosperity and happiness. We all fall and get back up. We all have to learn and go outside of our comfort zones.

如果你是第一代大学生，我为你踏入未知而鼓掌. For furthering your education and growing yourself. 我强烈建议你们宝博体育——如果不像我那样学一整个学期，至少也要学一个暑假. It will teach you things beyond 文本books and lectures. 我知道这很可怕，也不是每个人都有经济稳定, 但把它看作是对你最赚钱的生意的投资:你自己. Paul Coelho once said “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.” For me, making my family proud is priceless. 让我母亲知道她的牺牲没有白费是我最大的成就. And studying abroad showed me that no matter your culture, 种族, 比赛, or place of birth, everyone deserves respect and an opportunity to grow.

Olivia Gutierrez Padron是CEA校友大使，她于2019年春季学期在法国里维埃拉留学. She is currently a student at the University of Louisville.