From Puerto Rico to Harvard Square

I'm writing this blog today from Harvard Square. That's where I am right now. Me. And I can hardly believe it.

Tomorrow I'll be interviewing for Harvard's EdLD program and to be honest it's still very surreal. 

I bought a Harvard T-Shirt today (okay and a beanie and sweater...) just to see if wearing it made it feel any more real. Still nothing. 

I can't believe I'm here. I really can't. 

Young Isabel, my grandma.

In 2012 I published an article about the morning my grandma, Isabel, died. She was born in Puerto Rico and did not continue her education past the 4th grade. The article explains how on the day she died my master's diploma arrived in the mail.

In that poignant moment when I pulled out my diploma, wiping tears away from the recent news of my grandma's death, that it was evident that a degree is so much more than a piece of paper.

It is opportunity. It is hope. 

And tomorrow, February 27, I will interview at Harvard. And you know what else I realized recently? February 27 was my grandma's birthday. 

I'll be thinking of her tomorrow, and, whatever the outcome, feeling incredibly grateful that I was able to get even this far.

This opportunity has also made me feel even more dedicated to making sure it isn't so hard for other people like me to reach their highest educational and professional potential.

In other words, tomorrow I'll be thinking of you.