OUR SEPARATE WAYS TO THIS DEGREE

Life doesn’t come without hardships, and in our first year of university studies we have experienced more than a handful. Then again, rarely is a university degree a walk in the park. University provides a sense of independence that can be a double-edged sword. All three of us have lived our lives and trudged our paths towards the end goal that was this English studies degree. Now, we can recount said paths and share experiences and the people who have accompanied us during the process.

ECONOMIC STRUGGLES

Growing up, I, Lynette, and Jessica had some financial struggles. Unlike Abril, we both are immigrants, and that took a significant place in our paths. I grew up with a single mother. When we arrived in Spain after migrating, we had many financial problems and went through a lot to be able to have a home and a stable life, like we do now. Jessica’s parents weren’t going through the best economic times either. Caught in the country's economic crisis in 2008, they had to work a lot to sustain the family, but especially her mother. There was even a time when Jessica’s mother was the sole provider of the house. Despite everything, both our families did the best they could to make sure we didn’t have bad childhood memories. We are very thankful for this and for the hard work they have done because, without it, we could never have been in the lucky position we are today, studying this degree.

SCHOOL HARDSHIPS

On the other hand, I, Abril, together with Jessica, experienced another type of struggle in our young lives. Jessica was an extroverted kid, making friends everywhere and talking to everyone, but she was left out by her supposed friends in a very cruel way. I, too, was left out, and unlike Jessica, I was a much more introverted kid and was antagonized by a small group of girls in my class. The realization of the effect this bullying has had on Jessica and me is something we realized many years after it happened, as we were too young to properly rationalize what happened around us. Later on in life, high school brought new issues related to English itself. The love for the language the three of us have caused a divide between ourselves and our classmates, who considered it shameful and unimportant. Now, in our degree, we have found like-minded people who share our interest in the language and with whom we don’t feel left out.

FIRST CHOICE

Choosing our path after baccalaureate, Abril and I, Jessica, were pretty sure about studying this degree due to our love for English. I thoroughly believe my early years’ interests have led me to choose to study this degree, but the main motivation behind my pursuit was a good English teacher I had in high school. On the other hand, Abril started to get involved in all things English, movies, series and the media in general, thanks to her mother. She developed a love for the English language that only grew as time went by. When the time came to choose her degree, it was a given that she was going to choose something related to the language.

SECOND CHOICE

In contrast to Abril and Jessica, I knew since baccalaureate that I wanted to study a degree in law. I did like the idea of being an individual who promulgates justice, but what I didn't know is that it was not as cool as in TV shows and movies. After pondering a lot of my decisions in life, I asked for help. My mom and my English teacher in my last year in high school expressed their opinion and told me that I should study English because they saw potential in me. I finally laid aside my unrealistic  fantasies about studying law and set off on my journey to English studies. 

CONCLUSION

To conclude, there is a common point between all of us. Our mothers and their inspirations in our current lives. They have been crucial to our growth process and the people we have grown into. They’ve been shoulders to cry on. Not only that, but they have always supported our hobbies and decisions in life; they’ve been a constant in our lives, be it when we needed emotional support or when the family was experiencing tough times. They have been there for us and given us a boost to fulfill our dreams. In the end, even through hardships, life has led us to this degree together. Even if we don’t know what future awaits us.

Abril, Lynette, and Jessica with their respective mothers.

By Lynette Martinez, Jessica Ros & Abril Soro