Haziel Mota: Barriers, Mentors and Role Models

OK, so four barriers I come back going back to coming back from Eagle Pass, right? I did receive I, my family, I come from a low income family, and regardless of that, I receive a lot of support system from my parents over my family. I am a first generation student, so I feel that at the beginning I was a little. Growing up, I always said it. I’m never going to be a teacher or teaching is going to be my last resort. It was nothing that I really looked forward to that interested me. I, when I grew up wanting to be an engineer, but I realized quick enough the math was just not the way for me. So what’s it called? one day I received this vision, I was really lost. It was my senior year, my junior senior year, and I was like, super stressed out because I was like, I’m already bored of going to college, and I have no idea what I want to do, like the foundation I want for my life. So I prayed so much to God, and I received the vision that, you know what? Be an educator. And I took it from there. And I remember, like you do a lot of people constantly like judge it and say, like, you know what, you don’t make money in that field. You know, why do you want to do that? There’s kids. It’s this and that. And I felt like a part of me continuously like questioned it and sometimes in my like journey here, if I have something I don’t understand, of course, that I’m struggling with a mental breakdown, I question like, Is this what I’m meant to do like, is this what I want to be? But I fall back on that that vision that, you know, like this is what you’re meant to do. You have it like it’s there for a reason like followed through, like you’re not going to be put in a situation or a journey or a path that you can’t follow through with. So you’re there for a reason. And my parents, you know, they have believed in me so much. They have shown me a great amount of support. And I think one of the barriers, the biggest barrier for me coming to to tell me you was financially like, as mentioned, I come from a low income family and my biggest my biggest question was, Mom, how are we going to do it? Like, how is it that we’re going to cover all these costs? I have to pay so much. I was also admitted into Texas state in San Marcos, but because of financial reasons, I was like, I’m just going to stick to Tamiflu. Luckily, I am blessed. I have found a home away from home. But you know, it was that like economically. And regardless of that, my mom was like, Hazel, just go like, leave, leave the house. Like, we will find a way, you know, like things will fall into place and you’ll be able to do what you want to do. So that’s it. But that was a barrier for me. You know, also being a first generation student, it was very difficult because I was really confused with the whole steps, the whole process, financial aid. I didn’t submit this paper on time. Am I going to get the same amount of FAFSA? You know, the college application? What is the score look like? Do I have enough to pay for the dorms? Everything like it was a massive amount of information that in my brain, I was just like, Where do I even start with? I even look for these answers, so I constantly have that battle between am I asking a dumb question? Am I bothering who I’m asking you to? But it goes back to that, like receiving that support system. So, you know, TAFE kind of going back to TAFE. I feel like TAFE we provide. We want to be that hope. That is but on set for students and provide that support for them as they transition from high school to college. And, you know, like I mentioned before, like help them to see if like education is their calling, if that’s what they want to do. So I don’t know if y’all are familiar with the legend of the Katamari eg, it’s an indigenous tribe that you know, came to there was like head first, like began, you know, like in the mountains and they were scarce on food, water, everything right? And then they came upon this blue deer, the blue do. This signifies, you know, knowledge wisdom that led them to the path of success. And like a rich life. So he provided led them to like Sun, the food, the wind, everything that was, you know, able for them to like, nourish their lives. So basically, like, we want to be that call you Murray to students or in the university, not only the students here, but the students or the people, the individuals around the community to help guide them, you know, be that esperanza for them, because not only it wasn’t a barrier for me, but I see it since I come from a very poor community, very poor county. I see it there in other places where constantly children are faced with stereotypes, where it’s like you come from a low income family, you’re not going to make it, you’re not going to have the resources for it or you. You have family that went to jail. You’re going to be just like them. You have a lot of certain barriers that students, you know, because you’re this race, because you’re this color, because you look like this or you look like that, you know, you build a stereotype around them and they live up to it because it’s constantly what they hear. So as educators, you know, being an educator. You helped to change that, you hope to change that perspective around them and help to guide them, you know, like, you know what? Despite that barrier that you have in front of you, despite that stereotype, you’re able to overcome it. As an educator, I can help guide you. I can give you the advice. You can be that you married to them not only as an educator, but here is a toughie member in the university and the community. Help to guide these kids. Pull them out of those communities, pull them out of like those zones where you know, they’re just being targeted and they’re just being put down because there are many children who have like so much potential, so much, you know, passion for things that they want. But because of these barriers, they are put down. They feel that they have no opportunity to succeed or climb up the ladder. But we can be that helping hand. We can be that call you marry to them. That gives them that esperanza. So despite the very, you know, students can succeed, children can overcome and they can be what they want to be.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *