A Cuban Refugee's Journey to the American Dream by Gerardo M. González

Author:Gerardo M. González
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2018-06-09T00:00:00+00:00

My Honor Roll certificate from my last undergraduate semester at the University of Florida.

I was grateful for Miami Dade Junior College. The low-cost, open-door community college that served minority students, particularly Hispanics and African Americans, had been indispensable. I wasn’t prepared for college, and without the start Miami Dade gave me, I couldn’t have gone on to a selective institution of higher learning. In college at Miami Dade, I learned about college.

The need-based federal financial aid I received through the loan program for Cuban students had been critical. Without it, even a low-cost institution like Miami Dade would have been out of reach. As for repaying the debt, I thought: I’ll figure it out. The important thing was that no one—not Fidel, not the US government, not the banks, not politicians—could ever take away my education. Somehow, I’d make good on my promise to repay the loans.

What made me so sure that if I worked hard, I’d succeed? The image of my father’s hands, soaked in grease and marked by a lifetime of toil. His can-do attitude and unorthodox form of encouragement helped me persevere. I didn’t see myself as especially intelligent, but a liberal arts education awoke in me a thirst for knowledge and lifelong learning. When I failed, I tried to learn from my mistakes. With each new insight, each new understanding, I grew more motivated.

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