New Beginnings

September has passed, which means National GEAR UP Week just ended, the end of Hispanic Heritage Month is near, no more summer, the end of my teenage years (I just turned 20), the end of life, the end of this, the end of that. Seems like everywhere I turn everything is coming to an end…except that would be the wrong way to look at life. The better way would be to live in society, “Like the legend of the phoenix/Our ends were beginnings/ What keeps the planet spinning/ The force from the beginning”, and use the past to construct a better future. Sometimes deaths and ends in life can only make for new opportunities to improve, acquire strength, and pursue education and wisdom.

That is what GEAR UP did during National GEAR UP Week (Sept 23-27) in my hometown of Toppenish, WA. Sometimes middle school and high school can be most difficult times for youth, but knowing that people believe in you and that everyone is willing to invest in your potential to go to college, can represent a new beginning, a new way to look at life and understand the future. All week long, middle schoolers and high schoolers worked on decorating their advisory classroom doors that promoted post-secondary education. Elaborate and multicolored doors represented the endless possibilities for students in my community who are sometimes unaware of the many existing colleges and universities out there. In addition, various presenters spoke to the importance of college and how accessible it actually can be.. The middle school was also able to take students to the UW GEAR UP Business Luncheon in Yakima where they had the opportunity to talk to professionals about their careers and educative experiences. This allowed our young adults to meet real community members that have been successful in achieving their goals-both in school and in their careers. To top it all off, Friday was an all-school GEAR UP T-shirt day and celebrated their plans (not just their dreams) to go to college.

"Providing beginnings" is the way in which I can best describe how GEAR UP has changed my life. Many times I thought “this is it, I am done, there is nothing more for me, why even try?,  even if I tried, I would not have anything to show for my investment, blah, blah, blah”—all until GEAR UP.

Ends in general, imply change, but understanding that change can be good, can be the difference between surviving and falling through the cracks.

Throughout it all though, I had the support of many people, and among them was the GEAR UP team. Thanks to the GEAR UP coordinator at my school (my home girl, Cassandra Martinez), I was able to attend the GEAR UP Alumni Leadership Academy (GUALA) which has definitely made the “end” of high school a bit more bearable. Even the end of GUALA proved to be just the beginning of a beautiful relationship with people from all over the country, as well as a system of accountability that keeps me passionate about starting something bigger than myself.

When a dream dies, the pain helps us value every moment of life we have just a bit more. We remember the great memories, the hot sun on our exposed bodies; the years in which one had (in theory) minimal responsibilities and adults saw us as dependent children; the minutes spent on creating new relationships and sustaining the old ones. All of this to say, that the end can only bring about change and a huge potential for new starts!

Again, thanks to the Toppenish High School students, staff, and faculty, and my community of the Yakima Valley, which have allowed me to continue with new beginnings. Also, special thanks to Seattle Biomedical Research Institute who is allied with GEAR UP to create a world of scholarship, leadership,  and educated advocates in order to collaborate and end infectious diseases. Thank you lastly, to Whitworth University which is fostering an ideal environment for me and other students to make a difference in the world.

Above all, thank you all for reading, and remember to look at the new adventures in your life!

Alma out.