Hard work, dedication, and family support transformed my life

¶ … Committed

Good day, ladies and gentleman. I extend my deepest thanks to all of you for coming out to this occasion. Your presence here is an honor to all of us, and we're all happy to be able to share in our experiences with you. If there's one thing that this entire experience has shown me, it's the importance of hard work and dedication. If I've discovered anything, it's that hard work and dedication can truly help one transform oneself and one's life.

My Background

I've worked tremendously hard to earn my degree and I continue to work hard in order to better my life and the lives of the people closest to me -- my family friends and community. Ever since I was a child, I was no stranger to hard work, which is fortunate, as my life has been full of it. However, more than anything, I've learned the value of hard work is overall the creation of change and that hard work can make one into a better person. That has indeed been my experience. I am a full-time student and also work as a full-time registered nurse: I work a lot of extra hours to pay our bills because my husband has no job and together we have five children: five, 10, 12, 14, and 16 years old.

Our plan was never for me to become the sole breadwinner of the family: however, my husband became sick and I had to take care of our children, my schooling and all our work together. I take on as many extra hours as possible, to make life easier for my kids. I remember very clearly that it's simply not easy to be a kid and that there are all sorts of peer pressures. If I can provide them with the books, clothes and bags that they need to feel at ease in school, I think it will be easier for them to engage in the high pressure environments of elementary, middle and high school. My husband, I know, feels tremendously guilty for getting sick, and I try to help him and relieve that horrible burden of guilt.

For the past few years, I've put my own needs aside and it's been easy to do: there's so much work that needs to be done -- from my schoolwork, to my kids' needs, to my husband's needs to my patients' needs. However, the only reason I've been able to cast my own needs aside so successfully is because my friends, family and neighbor have been looking out for me so strongly. My mother helps babysit my kids whenever we need her too -- as do my neighbors, nieces and cousins. Everyone in my family tries to help out with our household as much as they can, in the form of childcare or cooking or cleaning or helping my husband with his medications or other things that need to be done when I'm not around. Given all this help, I feel like I have an extreme debt to pay off and I'm eager to do so. I want to help all the people who have helped me so much and who have made my life easier through their extreme kindness. I would not have earned my degree if it were not for their kindness and generosity.

Change I'd Like to See in the World

After all this work, and after all this highly collaborative effort, I truly do believe that the degree I've earned is going to help me give back to the world at large. With an MSN in education, I'll be able to secure a job in this field that matters and that has the power to make changes that matter to children and to our nation, and which has the potential for growth and advancement. With an MSN in education, I can work heavily with communities. I'd especially like to work with the inner city population in Los Angeles; many of the children who live in these areas are disadvantaged and don't receive the same quality of education: schools that are underfunded and teachers who are disillusioned. With my MSN degree I feel that the advocacy work that I do for these communities will be taken more seriously and will be treated with greater gravity. This means that I have the potential to create lasting change, and ultimately, make the lives of these students much better.

In closing, I'd like to again thank all of you for coming and allowing me to share my experiences with you. Thank you for listening. If you remember anything about my speech, I hope you remember that the power really is in your hands to change your lives, and that hard work will get you everywhere, creating change that amazes even you.