Hats in the Air: A Time to Celebrate

From Northwest Education Student Dafne:

Last month, I received my Bachelors in sociology with a minor in gender studies at UW as a first-generation college graduate.

My 7 year journey to get here was not easy. In 2016 I graduated high school, knowing community college was my best option. Without any guidance to navigate this new system, I struggled. At this time, a student at Bellevue College overheard my situation and connected me to a Northwest Education Access Advocate partner with the college.

I had many advocates over the years, but they each welcomed me with open arms. With immense support from my advocate, I got enrolled at Bellevue College, and during my second year, one of my Sociology professors asked me to be a tutor for the department. I was just discovering my passion for sociology. After a year of tutoring, I learned that helping and advocating for others was what lit the fire inside me that I didn’t even know I had. 

By 2020 I was ready to transfer to my dream school, the University of Washington. My advocate held my hand throughout the whole process—and I got in! But the joy didn’t last too long because covid hit and the transition from a community college to university was rough to say the least. My first quarter at UW was probably the hardest of all my journeys. I had the biggest imposter syndrome during this time, I felt like I wasn’t on the same level as the rest of my peers and that me getting in and even applying was a mistake. 

During this time I was also diagnosed with major depressive disorder as well as anxiety. I contemplated giving up and just dropping out of school completely. The only person other than my therapist who I could talk to about this was my advocate, who supported me and helped me with the paperwork to take some time off school and told me to take care of myself and continued to check in on me.

By fall of 2021, I was back in school and ready to finish and slowly build a community again at UW, and my advocate was there through every step of the way. They helped me connect with people that were NEA students who were also attending UW, and they suggested that I apply to join the Student Advisory Board.

Being part of the Student Advisory Board here at NEA has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences, as I can help the organization to better serve students. This year, we created a scholarship for students, and we participated in advocacy day to advocate for the right to education for everyone. 

And I really could not have done it without all my education advocates. Here at NEA we have a saying that students are the ones in the driver seat and that NEA is just here to help with extra support, but in reality they are much more. Yes, we might be in the driver seat, but they are our navigation system that always has our back in case we need redirection. 

Now that I’ve graduated, I’ve decided to take a small break to recharge before the fall when I will be looking for a job. In the meantime, NEA is still helping me prepare with my transition from school to work life. The job prep bootcamp that was put together by the organization prepared me and is helping me with my resume and interviewing process, and my advocate is still actively keeping in touch to further assist me when I finally start applying to jobs. The future is bright!