With graduation day around the corner, it is hard to imagine a life outside the walls of Colonia High School. When we turn the tassel on graduation day, all we will have are the memories of this chapter in our lives, a bittersweet moment for many, a new beginning for others.
Looking back on my time at Colonia High
High School was a rollercoaster for me. The first day I came into the building, all I remember is being a scared freshman, not knowing what these four years would bring, who my real friends would be and what extracurriculars I would do. I didn’t realize how quickly these four years would go by or the amount of battles I would have to face, but I wouldn’t have to face them alone.
Thank you, Mrs. Vazquez
There aren’t nearly enough words in the dictionary to explain how thankful I am for my paraprofessional. When people face a hardship, they often want to be seen for who they are. For me, the person who saw me was Lilian Vazquez, my paraprofessional during my time at Colonia High School.
On the days when the hallways felt too long to push through, she was there. Not only doing her job but doing so much more. She has treated me like her own daughter, and that is special in so many ways. Paraprofessionals can sometimes go unnoticed by the rest of the student body. But to the student they assist, they mean the world.
I will hold the memories I’ve made with her for years to come.
The Declaration
There is so much I can say about my experience being part of the newspaper staff. When I first took journalism my junior year, I didn’t understand the power of advocacy.
Before The Declaration, I spent years trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted from this world. I felt like no one cared about what I had to bring to the table. Being a part of The Declaration showed me how wrong I was. Learning to tell the story of others with disabilities taught me more about myself than a classroom ever could. I learned that the stories I tell about other people should be handled with the same amount of care as my own story.
I also learned that the only way for change to occur is for someone to speak about it and call attention to the problem. As journalists we have a big responsibility to preserve history all while trying to change the future for the better. It was in this class that I discovered how powerful my voice could really be. I also enjoyed the freedom to research and write on topics that were of interest to me. This was empowering.
What I hope I taught Colonia High School
If I left an impact at Colonia High School, I hope it’s this. Students with disabilities need to feel fully included, not just for the school’s sake, but for the students’ sake as well.
Inclusion isn’t just about accessibility, it’s when a student feels seen and heard for who they are. It’s about whether or not the school they’ll spend their last four years at makes them feel like a person, and not just another statistic.
I hope that the students who come after me, the scared freshman lost in the hallway the first day of classes and don’t quite know where they stand in the world, find a place that helps them find who they are. A place that teaches them that they don’t have to have the same timeline as everyone else. They are where they need to be at this very moment.
The next chapter
As I head into this exciting chapter of my life, attending Rowan University for healthcare management and administration, I will hold what the past four years have taught me dear to my heart. The days that were hard to push through, the stories I’ve told and the stories I’ve finally allowed myself to share tie me forever to Colonia High School.
I’ve chosen to study health care management and administration because I know how it feels to go through a world that isn’t always built for me. I want to help build a system that actually sees people for who they are. I now feel comfortable speaking up about the changes that need to happen.
I’ll wheel out of these hallways on graduation day no longer as the scared Freshman I once was, but as a confident individual with a deeper understanding of who I am and who I want to be.
