I am a Marine. I believe in the American Dream. I believe in the promise that hard work, determination, and access to opportunity can change the trajectory of a person's life. I also believe that higher education remains one of the most powerful ways to make that promise real. But a promise only matters if people have a fair opportunity to pursue it. 
I am living proof of what that promise can look like.
My mother brought my younger brother and me to the United States when I was 14. She didn't know much about locations, but she knew this country could offer her children a better future. We settled in a one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx in 1989. We were undocumented immigrants for seven years, but my mother never allowed our circumstances to define our expectations. She worked as a maid, paid taxes every year, refused public assistance, and taught us that we came to this country to work.
She also taught me that hard work was not optional. You made a commitment, you saw it through, and you didn't complain when things got difficult. People say that I'm disciplined, strict, demanding, dedicated, motivated, and more because of the Marines, but I tell them NO, I'm all those things because of my mom. The Marines were lucky to get me after growing up with my mom, a woman determined to ensure her kids had a better future, not only from the things she did for me but the lessons and lectures she taught me about life, being committed, seeing things through, not complaining, and always staying the course. My mom instilled in me resilience, commitment, respect, and dedication. Also, not to be afraid of hard work.
When I graduated from high school, I enrolled at City College of New York to study civil engineering, but because of our immigration status, I initially was charged international tuition rates. We fought for and were granted in-state tuition, but paying for college remained difficult. After two years, it got to be too much, and on the day we were given our green cards, I stepped into the Military recruiting office in the middle of Times Square, went up to the Marines recruiter, and said that I wanted to be a Marine.
I saw an opportunity to serve my country and continue my education, and that to me was a win-win.
While on active duty, I attended college full time and held multiple part-time jobs. I eventually earned my associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. A scholarship-for-service program later selected me as one of 10 students for an opportunity to work with the National Security Agency, and I went on to earn my Ed.D.
I tell this story because I want people to understand something about who belongs in this country and who contributes to it. I was an immigrant who became a Marine, served this country and went on to work in national security. My commitment to this country is not measured by where I was born; it is reflected in what I have done with the opportunities I was given and the responsibility I have accepted to help others.
That same commitment informs my work in higher education.
As a first-generation, first-in-college student, I did not have role models to help me navigate college. I had to figure things out along the way. Today, as a professor at Miami Dade College, I see students who are trying to do the same. Many are balancing responsibilities, confronting financial barriers, and questioning whether they belong. The idea that we are not good enough or that certain spaces are not meant for us is one that is reinforced not only in words, but in the barriers to access that continue to exist at institutions across this country. Impostor syndrome is real, and society often reinforces it.
We have to push back against that mentality. Higher education should expand opportunity, not reinforce the barriers that prevent people from accessing it. We should be helping students identify pathways, understand their options, and make plans for their futures. I encourage my students to develop five-year and 10-year plans, because time will pass whether they pursue their goals or not.
I want my daughters to become the best possible versions of themselves and receive the best education and opportunities available to them — and I want the same for my students, many of whom look like me and my daughters.
I still believe education is the ultimate equalizer. It does not mean the road will be easy or that every obstacle will disappear. But it does mean we must continue creating opportunities for people willing to do the work, regardless of where they started.
As we recognize Veterans Day, I hope we remember that the people who serve this country come from different backgrounds, circumstances, and journeys. Some were born here. Others came here as children and built their lives here. We all have a stake in the freedoms and liberties we serve to protect. And we all deserve an equal opportunity to access the American Dream — including higher education.
I am proud of the life I have built and the opportunities this country has given me. But I also believe we have a responsibility to ensure that the next generation has those opportunities, too. We must continue the work of generations before us to help those coming after us.
That, to me, is the American Dream. Not simply the opportunity to succeed for ourselves, but the responsibility to make sure that opportunity remains within reach for everyone.
