During high school, I made one good decision (thank God) that left me with a handful of college credits. I was extremely grateful that NDNU accepted all but maybe seven of those credits because that put me one year ahead of my classmates.

Who wouldn’t be happy?!

At first, I was ecstatic beyond words. This meant that my parents wouldn’t have to pay for an extra year of school, and I would be out in the business world faster than everyone else. But being a working “adult” sooner than my friends is a lot scarier than I realized.

Coming into college with one year already behind me gave me one less year to figure out what I want to do with myself. When people find out that I’m graduating in two semesters, they ask me “Rachel! What are going to do when you graduate?” I don’t know what to tell them, so I just say that I’m going to move back into my mom’s house and be a couch potato. Little do they know, I’m only half joking. That’s what scares me the most.

I fear I won’t be happy because I have too many interests to choose just one career path. I’ve sat down with a few of my professors about what I can do with my business degree, and they’ve all given me such great advice that I still can’t decide.

The best words of wisdom I’ve received about my future come from my father (but of course I didn’t really listen to him until I heard the same thing from my professor):

“Just get out there and start. Start somewhere – anywhere – and you’re gonna find your niche. You can’t expect to like what you’re doing, but you’ll find it. Just do something.”

I’m really hoping that I find what I’m looking for, but for now, I’ll continue pretending that I know where I’m going.

Gotcha!

For those who don’t know, Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay. The island was once home to some of America’s most notorious criminals, including Al “Scarface” Capone and the “Birdman” Robert Stroud. Even to this day, Alcatraz is known as one of world’s most legendary prisons.

Dressed in layers, I walked out to the quad. I saw a group of people at a round table and made my way there. “Did I make it?” I asked. “Yes!” Relieved, I took a seat and signed a waiver form. At that point, my day just got a whole lot more interesting. The bus that took us to San Francisco arrived at the school at around 11 a.m. It took a good 35 minutes or so to reach the starting point for the Alcatraz tour.

When I stepped off of the bus, I could feel the beautiful sun on my face. It was a wonderful feeling because if you’ve ever been in the City, you know how cold and foggy it can get there. It was going to be a great day for a tour! At around 1:00 we boarded the ferry for Alcatraz.

Because our group was in the front of the line, when we got the signal that it was okay to start boarding, we booked it to make it to the front of the boat. During our fifteen-minute boat ride there, my view of the island, as well as the city, was amazing. My eyes went from Treasure Island, to the Bay Bridge, to the beautiful city landscape, to the Golden Gate Bridge, and finally, Alcatraz Island. To top off the breathtaking view was the warm weather. I, without a doubt, would have suffered tremendously if we had gone on that tour on a foggy day.

As I stepped off the boat and onto the island, the first thing that I saw was a large rundown yellow brick building. On it is a sign that reads, “United States Penitentiary,” and above that, in bright red, is “INDIANS WELCOME” graffiti on the wall. Once everyone had gotten off of the boat, we all came together in front of that building. After a brief introduction, our group split ways and was given the instructions to make sure that were just back before 3:00 so that we could all leave together.

As we made our way into the “Main Prison,” we were greeted by a man that handed us a set of headphones attached to the device that provided us with our audio tour. Once those headphones were over my ears, I could hear the footsteps of the prisoners that were once there. I could hear the slamming of jail cells. I could hear the whistling and shouting of the officers that once worked there. Throughout the tour, I was given directions of where to look and where to turn. I was shown where the prisoners slept, read, ate and where they went for recreation. I heard stories of prisoners who tried to break out.

During the tour, a former prisoner talked about his experience in the cell. He spoke about how torturous it was to be in a jail that was a mile and a half away from San Francisco. They heard the music and sounds of people laughing and having fun. This stuck with me because that’s when I realized that these prisoners were so close, yet so far from freedom — and they were reminded everyday of it.

After the hour or so tour, we went to the gift shop. I ended up buying a few things for my dad because I thought he would have found Alcatraz to be very interesting, being a former military man and all. The trip itself was very enlightening. It was crazy that I was able to walk through the same halls that some of America’s most notorious prisoners once walked through.

At the end of the day, I was glad that I had decided to get ready that morning. It also helped that everything that happened that afternoon was free  :).

I know there are many people like me who never quite finished their degree after spending a couple of years in college. For some it was the need or desire for a paycheck, and for others- well, life just got in the way. Whatever the situation, it can be frustrating and embarrassing to admit to yourself, friends and co-workers that you don’t have a degree.

When I was laid off from a company after working my way up for 13 years, I decided it was time to go back and finish my degree-before my daughter just entering high school started college.

Looking at job opportunities was discouraging without it. I knew my old company paid for tuition and books. Being a working mom, I felt it would have been impossible to take advantage of this and work while finishing college at the same time. If I had only known what I needed to get started and finish, I would have done it years ago.

It took a while to convince myself that going back to school would be worth it. I had so many questions:

• What would it cost?
• Would it be flexible enough with my work and home life?
• Will my credits from community college transfer to a four-year university after all this time?

When I looked into it, I was relieved to find that:

• Many four-year universities now offer the flexibility of part-time programs, evening courses, accelerated formats and online programs to better align with an adult students life and work needs.
• Enrollment procedures for returning adult students are becoming simpler and offer greater support and resources like transfer credit assessments and financial aid information.

On a personal level, it was encouraging to see there were others like me out there, and that a degree was within reach.

If you’re in a similar situation and don’t know where to start, here are some tips that helped me find the right college and get started right away:

1. Collect copies of previous transcripts from college courses regardless of how long it has been. If it’s been less than 10 years, some of these transcripts may be accessed online; otherwise you will need to contact the institution for copies. * Hint: Always ask for numerous copies that are sealed and official so you have them if you apply to more than one place. That way you can have one for yourself that you can open and look at when it comes in the mail.  Once you open it, it is considered unofficial.
2. Research colleges that offer the programs and flexibility to meet your needs. That might include part-time, evening, weekend, or online programs. Information forums, tours and meetings are a valuable tool in guiding your decision whether or not a college is a right fit.
3. Have a transfer credit assessment done to see what is transferable. Credits are usually available for accredited two and four year college courses, military active service, police academy, nursing programs, and college level examination programs: AP, CLEP and International Baccalaureate Exams.
4. See what the options are for start dates. Programs for adults are usually offered with start dates year-round.
5. Look at majors and programs that will help meet your personal and career goals. Some people make career changes when they have this opportunity.
6. Research ways to pay for your education. There are more financial opportunities available than you might think. Some employers even offer money to help pay for the cost of tuition.
7. If you are missing lower division general education and prerequisite classes, it is possible in some cases to complete them at a 2-year college while attending a 4-year institution.

I’m happy to say I was able to finish my degree within two years while going part-time at night. You don’t need to wait until you get laid off from a job to finish. Going back for a bachelor’s degree was the best decision I ever made. The advisors at Notre Dame de Namur University, where I chose to finish my degree, worked with me to identify what evening classes were needed to complete my degree as soon as possible with a clear roadmap to follow.

Get a free transfer credit evaluation.

Click the button and specify that you would like a transfer credit evaluation done at no cost or obligation. An advisor will contact you.

Attend an information forum event.

If you are interested in getting more information for the Notre Dame de Namur University evening bachelors program, click the button to sign up for an information forum.

I’ve always found a love for these people, whether they are alive or a permanent part of the past. It’s not that they all necessarily inspire me, but it’s knowing that they have done something inspirational.

I’ve even made a list of all the people I want to meet and things I want to accomplish, titled “Life Goals”. This list includes:

No. 5: Meet Yao Ming – Accomplished
I didn’t actually meet him, but I got to see how ridiculously tall he is from the upper level of Oracle Arena during a Warriors game.

No. 3:  Meet Georgia O’Keeffe – Not Possible
Well, that could never happen, but maybe in my dreams. (At least I’ve had the chance to see her work at the SF MoMA.)

No.18: Watch the Star Wars Trilogy – Pending
And all in one night because I’ve never seen any of them.

No. 12: See Earth Wind & Fire – Pending
They’re awesome.

These might not seem like important life goals, but the list is pretty long and does have a few important, inspirational people.  One of those on the top of my list is Dolores Huerta and I finally had the chance last night to hear her speak at NDNU. I was absolutely star-struck and I’m certain that the hundreds of people packed into the theater also were.

If you aren’t familiar with her, she was Cesar Chavez’s counterpart and the leading lady of the farm workers’ movement. She’s possibly the most awe-inspiring feminist, having established the United Farm Workers Union with Chavez and her own foundation. At 82 years old, this spunky, no-holds-barred woman is still fighting for justice and leading others, young and old, in making this nation better.

Ms. Huerta was introduced by long-time friend and fellow activist Father Louie Vitale, who set the tone for her presence and offered humor in light of the brutality that we all know she has faced.

When Ms. Huerta came on stage, she spoke about everything from her children going to jail with her for trespassing, to how much more money is being spent on building jails than on building colleges and universities. The women in the audience were riled up by Ms. Huerta’s feminism sermon and I definitely got a kick out of her “there is no Prince Charming” blurb. She focused on immigration and the steps we need to take to achieve this sort of reform, and didn’t only discuss Latinos. The Japanese who suffered in labor camps, Filipinos who drained the delta and the Chinese who built the railroads were all mentioned.

As an Asian-American, hearing about the injustices against Asians from the Dolores Huerta was unbelievable. I couldn’t comprehend how this woman, who is known for coining “si se puede,” could possibly talk about Asians. However, listening to her at this point brought me to a deeper understanding of what it is to fight – if you’re going to fight for one, you fight for all.

Something she said that really got me was her instruction on how to achieve what you truly believe.

“All the power that you need is in your person…to make things happen. If you feel it in your heart, you gotta fight for it.”

This is clearly common sense, but I believe it now. Maybe it’s just because one of my heroines is saying it, or maybe it’s because I can connect that advice with her work and the things she’s done. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to talk to her or even take a picture with her, but I still left that theater accomplished that I had checked off Life Goal No. 7.

Photo: Center for Spirituality, NDNU

I’m not really the type of person to attend school events, but when our school has an event to go to San Francisco, know that I will be there. I’m a girl who enjoys exploring and sometimes my urge to experience new things gets shut down due to simple fact that I don’t have a car. I’d walk, but the farthest my feet will take me will probably be within Belmont and let’s be honest, Belmont itself is not exactly the most interesting place on earth. I’d take the Caltrain, but the cost for tickets just start adding up, therefore leaving my wallet a little depressed. So! If there’s one thing I’ve learned to do (okay, that’s an exaggeration), it is to embrace off campus events! They’re almost always free, and let’s be real, who doesn’t love free?!

This past Saturday, a friend of mine hosted an event to go to the Grace Cathedral. I’ve always been into complex architecture and the fact that my friend was hosting it was good enough reason for me to tag along for this event. Plus, it was on a Saturday. I would be kidding myself if I said I was going to stay back and do homework. On a Saturday, anyway.

So, Saturday morning, bright and early (if you would call this early), we met up in the school quad at 10 a.m. Once we were all there, we all walked to the Caltrain station, which is a good 10-15 walk downhill. Once we arrived to the station, we were all provided with clipper cards so that we didn’t have to pay for transportation. We “clipped on” and took the northbound train to San Francisco and that took us a good 30 minutes. During that time, I felt that the main topic for discussion was movies. Sidenote – if you haven’t seen Safe Haven, A Good Day to Die Hard or Gangster Squad yet, I highly recommend them! Once we arrived, we “clipped off” and made our way to the bus stop.

Buses. While I’ve never been one to hate on buses, this bus experience was just plain crazy. When we got on the first bus, we started off perfectly fine. Although, as we continued through the bus route, the bus became more and more crowded with every stop that we took. We eventually had to give up our seats for the elderly. That wasn’t what bothered me though. It was the fact that I was literally smashed between my friends and a few stangers and all I had to keep me from falling over, was that little pole they have running through the bus. End destination: Stockton and Clay. Once we finally got off the first bus, we would either have to walk up a hill to get to our destination or take another bus, and another bus it was. We walk on over to the bus stop that we needed to be at and by then there were a bunch of older ladies waiting for the same bus. Once the 1 came rolling in, we see that it’s already packed, but we, the smart students that we are, decided that we should try to get in. So, we did. Besides the fact that I was literaly standing next to the bus driver during the ride, we made it to our destination just fine.

Photo: Center for Spirituality, NDNU

The Grace Cathedral. I don’t exaggerate when I say that I felt relief. It really amazed me that a building such as that cathedral existed smack dab in the middle of such a crazy city. We walk into the cathedral, and I’m in awe. One thing on my bucket list is to go to Europe to see great buildings and old architecture. Being at this cathedral, I felt, gave me a just a taste of that. The first thing I noticed was the tall ceilings. My eyes started from the perfectly arranged row of pews and went up to see how tall the buidling was. The cathedral was surrounded with artwork of saints and each of the “windows” were beautiful works of stained glass art. During the time that we were there, the sun would move in such a way that when the light gleamed through the windows, little specks of colors would fill the room.

In the front of the cathedral, there was a labyrinth. I’ve never been through a labyrinth before and so I figured I would give this one a try. Also, the purpose of this event was to get more in touch with your “spiritual being.” Labyrinths are supposed to aide in that aspect. We each started at the opening of the labyrinth and going at our own pace, made our way through it. At the end, or middle I should say, of the labyrinth, we all stood there for a few moments to gather our thoughts and get in touch with our inner peace. Corny, I know. But, it’s one of those things that you shouldn’t knock until you try it!

After making our way through the labyrinth, we eventually found someone to give us a mini tour of the cathedral. She showed us interesting details, including a glassed stained window that had an equation hidden on it. We ended at the door where there was a piece of artwork made by an artist who was in a competition and took 20 years (if I remember correctly) to create!

After our time at the cathedral, we ended up venturing out into the city and because we were downtown, we decided to hit up Union Square for some lunch. From there on out, the day went pretty smoothly. My urge for adventure was fulfilled AND let us not forget, I did it, for free!

As I’ve pushed deeper into my education, however, I’ve found that it isn’t just food that can’t satisfy me. Nothing can satisfy me now. Not cupcakes, not A’s on my grade reports, not even getting my monthly allowance. Nothing. (I guess that’s what I get for choosing “hungry” as my Senior word for high school graduation.)

I’m not saying that I am a spoiled pessimistic brat, nor that I’m unhappy with the privileges I’ve been given. I’m just saying that I constantly want more.

I don’t just want cupcakes. I want to make them, take pictures of them, open a store and sell them for three bucks a pop. I don’t just want A’s on my grade reports. I want A pluses that I know darn-well had my blood, sweat, and tears poured into. And my monthly allowance? I don’t just want to see that my dad has graciously transferred money into my account. I want to know that I can save that money, invest it, and earn so much interest that I can buy a blimp if I wanted to. There is so much that I want to do and so many questions I have regarding my own success that it drives me crazy.

Now, I could sit around all day and dream about what my future has in store or whether I really will have enough money to buy a blimp, but I don’t. Instead of letting my whimsical aspirations lower my already-low-because-I’m-a-college-student self-esteem, I use them to fuel my thoughts. I have never dreamt bigger than I do as a college student, and it is because I want so much. Not material things, but the things that make me intellectual and independent. Isn’t that what college is supposed to do to you?

And maybe it’s being a broke college student who is tired of having a roommate, or maybe it’s my desire to furnish my own apartment and own a few houseplants, but being hungry and dreaming seem to make everything better.

With such a volatile issue such as immigration reform, undocumented youth like myself have been telling our stories to show the larger population that the policies in place are not working. The immigration laws that we have in place are broken, broken, broken. People ask me, “Why don’t you just legalize yourself?” It’s because I’m a masochist. I like living like a second class citizen who lives in constant fear of deportation. No… I’m just kidding. There is no current way for me to legalize even if I wanted to. My mother brought me here without papers so that I could have a better life and I do not blame her. She just wants the best for her son. And I am grateful for that. Now it is my turn to play my part to make sure that her dream of having me graduate becomes a reality.

When I transferred to NDNU last semester, I was unsure of how I would tackle telling my story to the larger student body. I am flamboyantly out of the shadows. I like to tell people my story of being undocumented when I get a chance. Initially I only told a few friends on this campus about my story in the very beginning. That was until I had a presentation for one of my classes and I picked immigration as my topic. I remember that presentation clearly. I told the story of how the policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) came to be. Then I dropped the shocker! I told the class, “I am undocumented.” I saw a few surprised faces, and I don’t blame them. I suppose that was the first time some folks met an undocumented person and I am definitely not a stereotypical undocumented immigrant. I was a student just like the rest of the class.

After that particular coming out, I shared my story with one of my professors and what I do for the immigrant community. I was the Outreach and Advocacy Committee Co-Chair for ASPIRE, Asian Students Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education and the Educator for Fair Consideration’s (E4FC), which holds educational presentations throughout the Bay Area. She told me to share my story at the Sr. Dorothy Stang Center for Social Justice and Community Engagement. When I did share my story, I felt like I hit a jackpot. With all of the work I do for immigration rights, I felt like I finally found an outlet that will help me develop and grow. Immigration rights is a social justice issue and the Sr. Dorothy Stang Center recognizes that. I talked to Jim McGarry, the interim director of the center, and Amy Jobin, the director of the Center for Spirituality, and they just gave me a whole lot of love. They supported what I do and helped me get more students get involved in immigration rights.

This month, on January 19 last week, I held a presentation at UC Berkeley for E4FC’s Educator Conference. It was a conference aimed towards providing resources to educators and allies on how to support undocumented students on their pursuit towards higher education. There more than 500 attendees from all over the Bay Area and out-of-state institutions. Jim and Amy were able to bring a bunch of students and some NDNU staff to the conference. From what I heard from E4FC’s Outreach Manager, NDNU brought the most people to the conference. I think that’s a testament of how committed Notre Dame de Namur University is to supporting undocumented people like me. I like that. This kind of support is uplifting to the spirit and it dissipates my bouts of self-doubt of being able to finish college.

The support from educators and allies here at NDNU validates why we need immigration reform. Undocumented students like me are tired of waiting for politicians to dictate when we can continue on with our lives. What folks like me want is a normal life without fear of deportation and to be able to fully contribute back to our society. Immigration reform is now a priority for the Obama administration and that’s what I’ll be fighting for this year. Comprehensive Immigration Reform will happen and I will be fighting for it with educators and allies from NDNU by my side. I am sure of it.

Once I started to work in education, I was shocked to learn how much money goes un-awarded because people just don’t apply. I also discovered that grant and scholarship aid for full-time students continues to increase. According to College Board, 53% of college tuition is paid for through scholarships and grants, but there is still a lot of money that goes un-awarded due to lack of applicants.

Here are some useful tips that I found while searching for scholarships.

• Do not pay a fee for scholarship searches. If you work independently you can generally find more sources than using a paid service.
• Resources like high school and college guidance counselors, web searches, information from the Department of Education and other sources are available to help you organize your search.
• As you search you may notice that often grant or scholarship searches are focused on targeted groups like academics, talent, athletics, diversity, underrepresented groups (example: first generation students) and geographical locations.  If you string together words like scholarships, grants, college, university, adult, graduate student, major of interest, your ethnicity or groups you are involved with, this can also bring up random scholarships that are available.
• Graduate, credential and adult (non-traditional) students should also do these searches. There are generally less funds available for these groups, but it can be worth the effort.
• In exchange for use of a web site you might be asked to provide your email. People often create a secondary email from a free service if they are asked to provide their information, especially if they are concerned about the free search sites searching them out as well. That way you also have all of the sites and responses in one place.
• Listed outside scholarships are additional to what a specific college might offer and do not include other grants or scholarships that a school’s financial aid office can determine your eligibility. Always remember to check with them as well.
• Search local, you’d be surprised how many local scholarships are available, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

With the internet the search process has become much easier. There are many sites available to search from. In our free download, “Outside Scholarship Search Information For College Students,” we’ve included links to most of the key sites, as well as sites for diverse groups. Download it today and get started on your scholarship search!

Even though David Baird doesn’t work in the classroom, he still found a way to incorporate the social justice mission of the university into his work and teach those values to our students. Baird, who runs the university’s Mail Center, organized a coat drive for the second consecutive year not only to help those who needed clothing to keep warm in the winter, but also to demonstrate to his student workers the importance of helping those who are in need. “I like involving the students so we can give them a taste of what community engagement is like, and show them that it doesn’t take much effort to help lots of people,” said Baird. The students who assisted Baird with the coat drive are Alex Aguilar, Sal Arias, Gerardo Rodriguez, Marisela Torres, Cristina Basulto and Jordan Tupfer Cruz. “Marisela went with me to deliver the coats,” said Baird, “and we talked about how the little that we did makes a big difference. She could appreciate that.”

From October 15 to November 21, the Mail Center collected donations of coats, rain jackets, boots, scarves, hats, sweaters and umbrellas from students, staff and faculty. Anyone wishing to make a donation simply had to notify the Mail Center and someone would come to pick the items up. “I am so thankful for our campus community’s effort in this coat drive,” said Baird. “It is heartwarming to know that everyone cares enough to help our neighbors in need.”

Top photo: David Baird with students Marisela Torres and Jordan Tupfer Cruz before delivering donations to InnVision/Shelter Network.