Breaking Through Barriers

Growing up, I always wanted to become a doctor in healthcare. That vision stayed with me when I moved to Seattle. It became a motivator when facing the challenges that come with being a foreigner to new country. However, that vision became a shadow of itself the moment my father told me that he will no longer be able to financially support my education. An uprising devastated my country, and my family lost all we had.

Here I was, in this country that was not my country, without financial support and no one to go to for help. I learned that I had to change my status in order to avoid eviction from the country if I wanted to stay here to pursue my education. Truly, I was not sure if SEA could help. Everywhere I went, schools would say I could not enroll unless my asylum was granted, which means that it could probably happen in the next five years or never.

My first meeting with my Education Advocate was one of the most unexpected moments of my life. She told me there could be a way for me to go back to school if I completed the GED. I still don’t know how to describe how I felt after that moment. Excitement? Hope? That I was finally going to go back to school, that I might still have another chance to see my dream come true? I was in tears and I remembered her taking some time to let me pull myself together before we continued to discuss a plan. My Education Advocate found me a tutor and I completed the GED within 3 months. I enrolled to North Seattle College to complete my Associate’s in Science the following winter. After two years at North Seattle College, I graduated and applied to University of Washington where I am now working on a Bachelor’s in Psychology.

SEA has restored my vision and my entire life. To the Education Advocates, thank you so much for always being there for the students you work with. I am forever grateful to SEA for the person I am becoming.