Amalia Realizes Her College Dream

​Amalia’s story is one that is familiar to many: a young student who came to the United States at an early age and dreamed of succeeding in higher education and beyond.

We are incredibly proud of Amalia’s success! Please join us in wishing her the best as she continues her professional journey after graduation.

My graduate school experience began in the Fall of 2019 when I started applying for Graduate School in my last year of undergrad at California State University, Los Angeles. I was applying to 6 graduate programs and completing my senior year requirements. It was a bit tough, but it was my dream to go to graduate school and obtain my master’s to be a qualified college counselor for students with disabilities in Higher education. Acceptances came by in the Spring of 2020.

I was full of joy all my hard work, dedication, and perseverance were all worth it despite going into Zoom for my last semester.  A young girl who came to this country at the age of 7 years old was just accepted to 4 out of 6 schools to which she applied. The schools were USC, Azusa Pacific, CSULA, and San Diego State University. My inner child could not believe it! I have always loved academia since I was a little girl. I wanted to do my circles perfectly in elementary school and be involved in extracurricular activities. When it came down to deciding what program to accept that would benefit me, I accepted San Diego State University for my master’s program.

The program started on Zoom in the Fall of 2020, and I was all ready to meet my peers and future professors. I could not have chosen a better school. SDSU taught me so much about myself and my capabilities. Moving from Long Beach, California to San Diego was a huge shift for me in my second year. It taught me to be on my own. I started living in Chula Vista and commuted via public transportation to work at San Diego City College and attend school at SDSU. My days started at 4:30 am to prepare my lunch, and breakfast and get ready to get dropped off by my landlord at the bus stop/ trolley by 7 am to start my day. I learned the transportation system in San Diego to take me from point A to B.

Then I was given the opportunity to come to Wesley and my life changed: transportation was accessible, stores were nearby, and I was able to cook all of my meals. I enjoyed this time to the fullest and learned that I was passionate about cooking and trying my mom’s different recipes. Having stability gave me the chance to fully focus on my studies and enjoy the SDSU campus, resources, and activities. With the resources provided by the Wesley House the food pantry, workshops, and one-on-one appointments with the student services coordinator, I was prepared to apply for jobs/internships. I have been given the opportunity to do a summer internship in New York and Washington DC! I am filled with joy and will forever be grateful to Wesley House for giving me the appropriate resources to open my wings and know that dreams are capable of becoming reality.

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