Hi, my name is Raquel Gonzalez, and I’m a recent graduate of Cal State LA. I’m a first-generation college student and earning my bachelor’s degree is one of my greatest accomplishments.

But my college journey was incredibly challenging. People are surprised that it only took me 5 years to finish, given the journey I had. After high school, I was offered a full ride to UC Merced, where I completed my freshman year.

Unfortunately, due to family circumstances, I had to return to Los Angeles to provide some financial support to my parents and four siblings. Leaving school was not an option, so I enrolled full-time at a community college and worked three different jobs to make ends meet. But even though I completed an entire year at a UC, the community college would not accept most of the units I completed.

On top of that, I passed AP Calculus in high school with an A minus and was placed directly in college-level math at UC Merced. So I was completely shocked when I was placed in basic skills math in community college…that is 3 levels below transfer-level! To this day, I wonder why no one ever thought that maybe those UC credits should have transferred? Or maybe the assessment test was flawed? If the UC thought I was college-ready…why wasn’t it good enough for my community college?

I didn’t know any better, I thought the counselors would. But every counselor I met gave me different information. There are so many other examples I can share but eventually I did find one counselor who was my advocate. I was determined to transfer quickly and I certainly didn’t make my life easier by doing this, but I worked multiple jobs while in college, I took more than 12 units a semester, and never took a break from a session. It wasn’t easy and college never is…but I didn’t have to experience those hardships. Today’s students are faced with difficult circumstances…they work full time; they may be parents, they may be the role providers for their families…and all of this affects their education. I wish colleges just saw the best potential out of every student and believed that they will be successful. I hope that our colleges and state leaders develop policies with this in mind. We can be successful, but we can’t with the many institutional barriers in place. Higher education is important to me because it provides me with the tools and knowledge I need to succed in life and my career.