Escrito por: Jenson Castillo
Photo by: Jenson Castillo
This year’s graduation ceremony will showcase thousands of graduating seniors from varying departments and backgrounds. Each student will have their own amazing story of struggle and triumph. But few of these stories will have trekked a longer journey than that of Lidia Gonzalez.
Gonzalez se mudó a California desde El Salvador cuando tenía 18 años. She had been anticipating the move for most of her life. Ella siempre supo que llegaría aquí algún día. Her parents moved to the U.S. when she was a child and reuniting with them was a dream come true.
Most Central Americans come to the United States for a better life, and for her parents, that meant finding a job or two and working till retirement. However, she had not traveled over 2,000 miles just to get a job. Ella tenía la vista puesta en algo más grande. Soñaba con ser la primera de su familia en obtener un título universitario.
Gonzalez would continue her journey by leaving California and traveling another 2,000 miles to Boston, Massachusetts. There, she hoped to find something more fulfilling, but eventually felt the same way she did in California. Algo faltaba.
Gonzalez talked to a friend about what she was feeling and she invited her to Maryland for a few days to help her get her mind off things. Gonzalez aceptó la invitación y el corto viaje se convertiría en una mudanza permanente.
Once in Maryland, she quickly found employment and community. Encontró un sentido de pertenencia entre la familia de su amiga que se volvió como el suyo propio. One day, Gonzalez recalls driving by the University of Maryland campus y se sintio atraída por los grupos de estudiantes que caminaban a sus clases.
Lidia eventually enrolled in Montgomery Community College. Ten years had gone by since the last time she was in school and now she was in another country learning in a completely different language. La barrera del idioma dificultó la transición, pero ella trabajó en su inglés y se negó a darse por vencida.
She earned her Associate's in Business in 2020. Her dream of being the first in her family to earn her degree had come true, but she was not done yet.
Gonzalez would go on to be accepted into the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Recuerda haber llorado el día que recibió su carta de aceptación. Esta era una gran oportunidad para ella y no la daría por sentada.
Gonzalez got involved with business clubs and campus organizations, which helped her forge a community. She participated in leadership programs and internships offered by the business school. Más recientemente, hizo una pasantía para una organización en Brasil que se enfocaba en hacer que las empresas fueran ambientalmente sostenibles. Estas experiencias la han convertido en una profesional más segura y capacitada.
Graduating this May with a dual degree in Business Management and Accounting, which encompasses 150 credits and two distinct degrees, will be one of the most rewarding achievements of her life. Su resiliencia y resistencia la han impulsado a un escenario que muy pocos con su experiencia alcanzan. ¡Felicidades, Lidia!
"Primeramente le doy Gracias a Dios porque me le dio sabiduria a Lidia. Me siento muy orgullosa, yo que la crié y creció conmigo. Todos sus sacrificio han sido de ella solita y por eso la admiramos y es nuestro orgullo."
- MARIA MAGDALENA DURAN (ABUELITA)
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