My Speech..,

Que significa un doctorado? Para mi un doctorado significa que nuestra lucha apenas a comenzado. Mi lucha apenas a comenzado porque este doctorado no puede significar lo que la sociedad quiere que signifique hasta que todos los sonadores “THE DREAMERS” puedan lograr lo que yo he logrado este dia.

Este doctorado no me pertenece a mi sino a mi comunidad. Es de las mijas y los mijos que llegaron a este país desde infancia con sus padres para una vida mejor. Los sonadores quieren estudiar, quieren aprender, quieren contribuir a este país, que es el único país que conocen. Este doctorado significa que SI SE PUEDE. Significa una estadística positiva para mi comunidad. Perseguí un sueno. Es tiempo que los sonadores también perseguían su sueno.    

What does this doctorate mean to me? For me, this doctorate degree means that my struggle has just begun. My struggle has just begun because this doctorate does not mean what society wants it to mean until all "THE DREAMERS" can achieve what I have achieved today.

This doctorate degree does not belong to me, but to my community. It belongs to the “mijas” and “mijos” who arrived in this country from childhood with their parents for a life better. THE DREAMERS want to study, want to learn, want to contribute to this country, which is the only country they know. This doctorate means YES YOU CAN. It means a positive statistic among my community. I pursued a dream. It is time for the dreamers to pursue their dreams. 

Latin Style Graduation

Saturday, May 18, 2013

I celebrated my graduation today Latino Style, a lo Chicano, a lo Mexicano--con una bendicion, el Mariachi, and yes, I even ended it with a ride in a cop car with my mom and my neighbor (tell you about that later). Yup that’s how we do it!!

I celebrated my graduation with my community, my family, my friends, and my mentors. I appreciate everyone who was with me physically and in spirit. You made this day so special for me. I felt so accomplished. I felt so loved. I felt I wasn’t alone through this journey. I felt so proud, but not proud of me or my accomplishment, but instead proud of my Chicano community, my Raza, my people.

You see, today I added another number to the numbers. I added another female to the numbers. I added another Chicana to the numbers. A different kind of statistic, though. A different kind of number that is.  A number so small compared to the other numbers.

I did it!!  Yes, I did.  I mean, I did all the work and sure it wasn’t easy.  Papers, group projects, webinars, readings, and the beautiful dissertation (it really is beautiful, not just because I wrote it).

Yes, the work I did, but I didn’t do IT alone. You see in this world great accomplishments are not carried out alone. God made us to live together among each other to learn from one another. I learned so much through my journey and it was not all academic.  God paints a beautiful picture for us everyday of our lives. It is up to us to choose the lens by which we wish to view the picture of our life.

A perfect example, the cop car-ride we took today.  On our way home from the graduation ceremony, something popped in the engine. At first we thought it was a flat, but as we pulled alongside the road and examined and re-examined the engine, we learned a spark plug had cracked in half and blown out.  Luckily, my neighbor, Sylvia, was with my mom and I because I do not know diddly squat about engines. Sylvia is a Jack of all Trades. I love her.

Low and behold a CHP comes and rescues three damsels in distress.  He calls a tow truck to haul my mom’s car 6 miles.  Hence, the cop car-ride. Getting my mom in the cop car was quite an adventure in itself.

Sure, the tow truck was overpriced and it sure wasn’t how I would have wanted to spend the afternoon of my graduation, however, everyone involved made the best of it; my mom, Sylvia, the 2 CHiPies, 2 tow truck guys, the guys at the auto parts store, and George. George was our angel sent from God to help us change the spark plug. We made it home safely six hours later and $250 under. 

You see it’s all about perspective and believing and accepting God's plan. 

PEACE, LOVE and GOD BLESS!!