The college application process is one of the best things to have happened to me. Crazy – I know. Yet, I’ve realized that this journey has allowed me to deeply reflect on who I am as a person, what I value, who I love, and understand that how I live my life is a reflection of who I am. I have claimed hidden parts of myself in supplemental essays, analyzed changing points in my life in my personal statement, and reflected on the impact that all my extracurriculars have had on my life. Most of all, it has made me extremely grateful to be where I am today.
Both of my dad’s parents emigrated from different parts of rural Portugal in the 1960s, in order to escape the rising dictatorship of Salazar. They met in America, and then settled in Naugatuck, Conn., a borough with a high Portuguese population. My grandfather earned his bachelor’s in Business from UCONN, my only grandparent to receive a college degree. My dad attended Providence College before transferring to Southern Connecticut University to earn his degree in Mathematics Education.
My other half is a bit more complicated. My maternal grandfather is Italian, with his mother emigrating from Naples, Italy, in the 1950s. My maternal grandmother is French Canadian, with roots tracing back to Native American tribes. My grandma and grandpa were both unable to complete college. My mom went to the University of New Hampshire, where she earned her degree in Occupational Therapy, and then, after having me, she went back to school to earn her master’s at Southern.
I stand here today, attempting to complete my college application process, a product of different cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences. I have the privilege of going to an excellent private school, with all the resources I could ever ask for. I am lucky enough to get to explore all my passions, including attending the same dance studio since I was six. I get to write my heart out as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the KO News, pursue a career interest as a lawyer in Mock Trial, and lead a team of my peers as KO’s first-ever student-choreographer. I get to apply to colleges throughout the country, and know that in the next four years, I will have a college degree, a privilege that only one of my four grandparents got. In many ways, I believe that I am living the American Dream that my relatives wanted me to live after leaving behind everything they had ever known.
I am the result of sacrifice, diversity, and a dream. And so it’s obvious why it pains me to see the hate for immigrants across the country. I truly don’t want to get political. To quote our Symposium author, Claire Keegan, “I don’t mean to get political. I just am.” My life story, my culture, my roots, the person I am today – it all traces back to immigration. Many forget that every single person in America has some sort of immigration story (unless they have native roots); every single person’s life is affected in some way by immigration. The hate spread by our current administration towards immigrants, legal or illegal, absolutely disgusts me. Spreading the notion that all immigrants are dangerous criminals is not only untrue, but spreads extreme hate throughout the country. I understand deporting criminals, but detaining regular, tax-paying, law-abiding people who came to America with the same dreams that my relatives had, hurts me. My grandma is still not a U.S. citizen, and my grandpa died in the U.S. without citizenship in 2023. But they are some of the most passionate Americans I have ever met. They love this country, all of its flaws, and all of its opportunities; How this country has allowed them to create a family, and has allowed me to have the life I have today. And I know that they would do it again in a heartbeat in order for my siblings and me to experience the lives we get to live.
This thought constantly lingers in the back of my mind while working on the applications that have the ability to alter my life’s trajectory. I, like many other seniors, find myself getting stuck in my head, thinking about which schools will accept me, what scholarships will be offered, and if I will pick the right place. But then I think about my heritage and the sacrifices taken for me to be here today.
So this is my message to my class and all other classes to follow: never forget how much of a privilege earning a college degree is. This opportunity is not easy to access – not in America, not in the Western world, not on a global scale. The idea that all of us will move on to go to college is extraordinary. Whether we go to Tunxis or Harvard, getting to go to college is special, and this journey and opportunity should never be brushed over. I wish the best of luck to all my fellow seniors on their college applications, and I can’t wait to see where this journey will take us!
