In the fall of 2008, a young brown-eyed woman with curly black hair and caramel skin sat on a wooden bench in Washington Square Park. While she stared at the powerful water sprays from the central fountain, childhood memories stirred. There were struggles that she did not want to remember. The superwoman she looked up to, her aging mother, was crumbling. As a little girl, when she held her mother’s hands, the contortions of her fingers grew gruesomely twisted because of her arthritis. The deepening wrinkles around her fatigued eyes expressed the endurance in her soul as she cleaned houses every day. As the girl grew older, she could not stand to see her idol deteriorate and suffer this way. This young woman was I.
I value education mostly because of my mother. Without her influence and wisdom, I would not be as determined and inspired as I am today. I admired her integrity and willpower. She was not ashamed of her own lack of education. Her focus was to nurture her children. My mother influenced my decision to become someone remarkable. As a young Hispanic girl from a low-income household, I understood that a radical change was necessary in order to escape hardship. That childhood experience motivated me to work hard for my education in order to find a career that can support my current family. I am grateful that she was never ashamed of me for having a learning disability, but instead taught me that it, too, will not limit what I want to do in life. I was born to survive like her.
During senior year of high school, people tried to put me down, saying that I had no chance of being accepted into a prestigious college. Yet my mother’s faith in me gave me the strength to apply for any college and seek scholarships for financial assistance. As I got up from the wooden bench, walked through the historical white arch that stood at the edge of Washington Square Park, I was in awe. There were feelings of accomplishment, honor, and gratefulness because I had been accepted at New York University (NYU) through the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) on a scholarship from Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), with support from the Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID). However, I will not stop at graduation from undergrad. My experiences as a college student led me to pursue a career in higher education.
When I stepped foot into the Steinhardt School of Education for Teaching & Learning the faculty helped me see that I should not be afraid to take a challenge, such as becoming a tutor from NYU America Reads. Through this program, I assist Deaf students with mild to severe disabilities in self-contained classrooms at P.S. 47, The American Sign Language and English Secondary School. During a music lesson, my Deaf students were encouraged to play drums for their African-Cuban performance. At first they looked at the instruments in perplexity. My coopering teacher and I lay the students’ hands on the bases of the drums, encourage them to feel every corner, and use their sensory skills. As the music instructor modeled how to play the drum, my students were able to develop a critical-thinking mindset to tackle the situation—Through direct instruction, community effort, and practice, the students understood that they needed to use their hands to create rhythm. Although, they could not hear the drumming pattern, through observation and skill they succeeded. The communication between my high school students and I shaped my perspective about Deaf Culture. This practice motivated me to explore a field that involved working with students living with a disability from a high school or college level.
I became an Orientation Leader for Teaching & Learning. I advised incoming freshmen in making decisions regarding their academics and have supported their transition to the Steinhardt community. I provided campus tours and planned events with the faculty. During these workshops, I had the opportunity to work with a group of students from HEOP whom all looked unsure about how to become a college student. Then it struck me: I had a similar fear when I attended my freshmen orientation as a HEOP student. I asked questions like, “How can I register at the Moses Center for Disabilities?” “Where could I find resources as a minority?” My involvement as an Orientation Leader motivated me to find a future working with students who have similar backgrounds that I encountered such as living with a learning disability from a low-income household. Therefore, I decided to take a risk and volunteer abroad where I can work with high school students from impoverished neighborhoods to view a different perspective.
During winter break, I participated in an Alternative Break trip to Quito, Ecuador. When my group approached Yachana Lodge at the border of the Amazonian region, I noticed the vast poverty in the Modaña community. At the high school, there were few educators. I was chosen to teach an English class. It was a great responsibility. This role helped me interact with my students and understand their indigenous culture where most of the students spoke Quechua. We planned lessons that encouraged them to illustrate their villages with the English vocabulary. I assisted the students with their public speaking in English. At first, they were too shy to speak up. I realized that we needed to model the approach in smaller steps, so I stood before the class and gave an example of how to speak properly. I brought a student up and supported him in every step. They slowly became comfortable with speaking English because they witnessed someone like me who cared enough to guide them along the way.
My experiences in college gave me the understanding to help underprivileged high school/college students with a disability to receive the opportunity to go to college and apply for scholarships. I want to share my story to others and explain what inspired me to become who I am today, a role model for minorities, and let others know that faith in oneself is what helps you move forward in life. There will be obstacles that may stand in your way. I was insecure about my difficulties in reading and writing. However, I learned to network with people on campus such as college advisors, administrators, and financial aid counselors who have become my role models to this day. They comforted me when I needed resources for my disability or financial assistance if there were problems at home. I want to become that person who students can count on. Therefore, I am pursuing a degree in higher education to make my goal into a reality.
In my senior year of college, I went away to San Marcos de Tarrazú, Costa Rica for a community service trip with a group of thirteen New York University (NYU) participants and staff members to learn about the effects of fair trade on coffee plantations. On a Tuesday afternoon, when I returned back to my room from a long day of cleaning and painting a water dam with the native workers, I received an email from Teachers College stating, “Thank you for your application to Teachers College, Columbia University. The Office of Admission has posted a decision regarding your application…” My nerves had the best of me to the point that I could not open the notification until the following day. As I read the final decision, tears of joy began to trickle down once I saw, “…you have been accepted to the Higher & Postsecondary Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University….” At that moment, I knew that I would start a different chapter in my life as a graduate student. Even though I had no idea what to expect, I had faith that the experiences I would bring into the program and the challenges I will encounter would help me develop into a stronger professional.
Before I came into the Higher & Postsecondary Education program, my goal as an aspiring professional was to become an academic advisor and/or college counselor in a university or high school working with students of color, with or without a learning and/or physical disability, who come from a similar background as I did growing up. I identify as a first-generation student living in a Puerto Rican, single-parent household from a low-socioeconomic background using welfare, food stamps, and SSI for assistance. My interest in wanting to work with underrepresented populations was developed from the experiences I had as a Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) student in my undergrad institution. I want to become that person who they can count on for support and gain the guidance that they need in order to help them pursue their academic goals. However, as I walked up those red paved stairs to the doors of Teachers College, the courses I took and the professors I interacted with triggered certain curiosities and beliefs I never had before, which made me reflect on different student issues and populations that incoming professionals need to be aware of in order to provide the most appropriate assistance to their students.
Sincerely,
Damaris Sanchez
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” ― Paulo Coelho
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Having Faith by Damaris Sanchez…
In the fall of 2008, a young brown-eyed woman with curly black hair and caramel skin sat on a wooden bench in Washington Square Park. While she stared at the powerful water sprays from the central fountain, childhood memories stirred. There were struggles that she did not want to remember. The superwoman she looked up to, her aging mother, was crumbling. As a little girl, when she held her mother’s hands, the contortions of her fingers grew gruesomely twisted because of her arthritis. The deepening wrinkles around her fatigued eyes expressed the endurance in her soul as she cleaned houses every day. As the girl grew older, she could not stand to see her idol deteriorate and suffer this way. This young woman was I.
I value education mostly because of my mother. Without her influence and wisdom, I would not be as determined and inspired as I am today. I admired her integrity and willpower. She was not ashamed of her own lack of education. Her focus was to nurture her children. My mother influenced my decision to become someone remarkable. As a young Hispanic girl from a low-income household, I understood that a radical change was necessary in order to escape hardship. That childhood experience motivated me to work hard for my education in order to find a career that can support my current family. I am grateful that she was never ashamed of me for having a learning disability, but instead taught me that it, too, will not limit what I want to do in life. I was born to survive like her.
During senior year of high school, people tried to put me down, saying that I had no chance of being accepted into a prestigious college. Yet my mother’s faith in me gave me the strength to apply for any college and seek scholarships for financial assistance. As I got up from the wooden bench, walked through the historical white arch that stood at the edge of Washington Square Park, I was in awe. There were feelings of accomplishment, honor, and gratefulness because I had been accepted at New York University (NYU) through the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) on a scholarship from Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), with support from the Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID). However, I will not stop at graduation from undergrad. My experiences as a college student led me to pursue a career in higher education.
When I stepped foot into the Steinhardt School of Education for Teaching & Learning the faculty helped me see that I should not be afraid to take a challenge, such as becoming a tutor from NYU America Reads. Through this program, I assist Deaf students with mild to severe disabilities in self-contained classrooms at P.S. 47, The American Sign Language and English Secondary School. During a music lesson, my Deaf students were encouraged to play drums for their African-Cuban performance. At first they looked at the instruments in perplexity. My coopering teacher and I lay the students’ hands on the bases of the drums, encourage them to feel every corner, and use their sensory skills. As the music instructor modeled how to play the drum, my students were able to develop a critical-thinking mindset to tackle the situation—Through direct instruction, community effort, and practice, the students understood that they needed to use their hands to create rhythm. Although, they could not hear the drumming pattern, through observation and skill they succeeded. The communication between my high school students and I shaped my perspective about Deaf Culture. This practice motivated me to explore a field that involved working with students living with a disability from a high school or college level.
I became an Orientation Leader for Teaching & Learning. I advised incoming freshmen in making decisions regarding their academics and have supported their transition to the Steinhardt community. I provided campus tours and planned events with the faculty. During these workshops, I had the opportunity to work with a group of students from HEOP whom all looked unsure about how to become a college student. Then it struck me: I had a similar fear when I attended my freshmen orientation as a HEOP student. I asked questions like, “How can I register at the Moses Center for Disabilities?” “Where could I find resources as a minority?” My involvement as an Orientation Leader motivated me to find a future working with students who have similar backgrounds that I encountered such as living with a learning disability from a low-income household. Therefore, I decided to take a risk and volunteer abroad where I can work with high school students from impoverished neighborhoods to view a different perspective.
During winter break, I participated in an Alternative Break trip to Quito, Ecuador. When my group approached Yachana Lodge at the border of the Amazonian region, I noticed the vast poverty in the Modaña community. At the high school, there were few educators. I was chosen to teach an English class. It was a great responsibility. This role helped me interact with my students and understand their indigenous culture where most of the students spoke Quechua. We planned lessons that encouraged them to illustrate their villages with the English vocabulary. I assisted the students with their public speaking in English. At first, they were too shy to speak up. I realized that we needed to model the approach in smaller steps, so I stood before the class and gave an example of how to speak properly. I brought a student up and supported him in every step. They slowly became comfortable with speaking English because they witnessed someone like me who cared enough to guide them along the way.
My experiences in college gave me the understanding to help underprivileged high school/college students with a disability to receive the opportunity to go to college and apply for scholarships. I want to share my story to others and explain what inspired me to become who I am today, a role model for minorities, and let others know that faith in oneself is what helps you move forward in life. There will be obstacles that may stand in your way. I was insecure about my difficulties in reading and writing. However, I learned to network with people on campus such as college advisors, administrators, and financial aid counselors who have become my role models to this day. They comforted me when I needed resources for my disability or financial assistance if there were problems at home. I want to become that person who students can count on. Therefore, I am pursuing a degree in higher education to make my goal into a reality.
In my senior year of college, I went away to San Marcos de Tarrazú, Costa Rica for a community service trip with a group of thirteen New York University (NYU) participants and staff members to learn about the effects of fair trade on coffee plantations. On a Tuesday afternoon, when I returned back to my room from a long day of cleaning and painting a water dam with the native workers, I received an email from Teachers College stating, “Thank you for your application to Teachers College, Columbia University. The Office of Admission has posted a decision regarding your application…” My nerves had the best of me to the point that I could not open the notification until the following day. As I read the final decision, tears of joy began to trickle down once I saw, “…you have been accepted to the Higher & Postsecondary Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University….” At that moment, I knew that I would start a different chapter in my life as a graduate student. Even though I had no idea what to expect, I had faith that the experiences I would bring into the program and the challenges I will encounter would help me develop into a stronger professional.
Before I came into the Higher & Postsecondary Education program, my goal as an aspiring professional was to become an academic advisor and/or college counselor in a university or high school working with students of color, with or without a learning and/or physical disability, who come from a similar background as I did growing up. I identify as a first-generation student living in a Puerto Rican, single-parent household from a low-socioeconomic background using welfare, food stamps, and SSI for assistance. My interest in wanting to work with underrepresented populations was developed from the experiences I had as a Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) student in my undergrad institution. I want to become that person who they can count on for support and gain the guidance that they need in order to help them pursue their academic goals. However, as I walked up those red paved stairs to the doors of Teachers College, the courses I took and the professors I interacted with triggered certain curiosities and beliefs I never had before, which made me reflect on different student issues and populations that incoming professionals need to be aware of in order to provide the most appropriate assistance to their students.
Sincerely,
Damaris Sanchez
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” ― Paulo Coelho