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Hello everyone!
My name is Wendy Gomez and I am an educator. My journey to becoming an educator first began when my parents brought my brother and I to the United States when I was 5 years old with hopes that I would have a better life. Even though they were unable to pursue an education of their own, they made sure my brother and I did our best in school and pushed us to excel in our studies. I was an athlete and played a variety of sports such as soccer, basketball and softball. I joined many after school enrichment programs and volunteered in my community. I knew the sacrifice my parents made by leaving their home in Mexico was a very difficult one, and I wanted to make them proud.
So far, I can say that I have.
I graduated from high school, and went on to receive my Bachelor's degree from John Jay College. I am proud to say that just recently I’ve been accepted into the School of Education master's program at John Hopkins University. I'm extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity. This program would be essential in building skills to help inner city youth and improve their educational experiences. However, I fear I may not be able to attend given one obstacle: Ineligibility for financial aid.
Due to my dreamer status through the DACA program, I am not eligible for financial aid. Although I have always been grateful for the educational opportunities that being here has provided me, funding my education has always been a struggle. I never asked for help or accepted it and I worked throughout my high school career in order to ease the financial burden from my parents and family. I did the same when I was accepted to John Jay. Without any financial assistance from school, I worked my way through college. I worked two full time jobs and would seek part time ones as well; all while being a full time student just to ensure I could pay tuition as well as help support my family. I’ve been taught to work hard, and to not allow people that say “no” to stop me.
After college, I was lucky to gain acceptance to the Teach for America Program and pursue my dream as an educator. While many are able to receive Americorps through completing Teach for America, this is another thing that I am not eligible for due to my dreamer status. While my status has allowed me a pathway to pursue my career, it has never set opportunities for me to be able to do so without a financial burden that achieving a higher education degree brings.
I have worked as an elementary school teacher in the Houston public school system since 2017 and I am still teaching to this day. As educators, we often have to provide materials for our students out of our own pockets. While this is something we do selflessly because we know that the reward is beyond what we might spend, it can still be overwhelming to do so. The first time I ever publicly appealed for funds was when our classroom was ruined because of extreme flooding during the 2017-2018 school year. After that, I have raised money for resources in our classroom such as books, school supplies and technology. My students receiving the tools to make them successful and to ease the burden on their parents is very important to me.
This time I am asking for your help to obtain my master's degree so that I can continue advocating for students through better teaching practices. Teaching to me is the career I have always wanted to have. Especially during these uncertain times, it drives me to want to keep learning and push myself more as a teacher. This is why I made the decision to go back to school. To further my studies and to be able to help students on a larger scale once I receive my degree. Every contribution will go towards tuition, textbooks and other school fees. Despite the negative image our current society has on immigrants, I know that my personal life has always been filled with positivity and good intentions. Many immigrants like myself wish to give back to our communities and make a difference. My goal is to educate and mentor children from all walks of life so that they too can be successful in this country. Thank you all for your support and please know that every contribution makes a difference.
My name is Wendy Gomez and I am an educator. My journey to becoming an educator first began when my parents brought my brother and I to the United States when I was 5 years old with hopes that I would have a better life. Even though they were unable to pursue an education of their own, they made sure my brother and I did our best in school and pushed us to excel in our studies. I was an athlete and played a variety of sports such as soccer, basketball and softball. I joined many after school enrichment programs and volunteered in my community. I knew the sacrifice my parents made by leaving their home in Mexico was a very difficult one, and I wanted to make them proud.
So far, I can say that I have.
I graduated from high school, and went on to receive my Bachelor's degree from John Jay College. I am proud to say that just recently I’ve been accepted into the School of Education master's program at John Hopkins University. I'm extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity. This program would be essential in building skills to help inner city youth and improve their educational experiences. However, I fear I may not be able to attend given one obstacle: Ineligibility for financial aid.
Due to my dreamer status through the DACA program, I am not eligible for financial aid. Although I have always been grateful for the educational opportunities that being here has provided me, funding my education has always been a struggle. I never asked for help or accepted it and I worked throughout my high school career in order to ease the financial burden from my parents and family. I did the same when I was accepted to John Jay. Without any financial assistance from school, I worked my way through college. I worked two full time jobs and would seek part time ones as well; all while being a full time student just to ensure I could pay tuition as well as help support my family. I’ve been taught to work hard, and to not allow people that say “no” to stop me.
After college, I was lucky to gain acceptance to the Teach for America Program and pursue my dream as an educator. While many are able to receive Americorps through completing Teach for America, this is another thing that I am not eligible for due to my dreamer status. While my status has allowed me a pathway to pursue my career, it has never set opportunities for me to be able to do so without a financial burden that achieving a higher education degree brings.
I have worked as an elementary school teacher in the Houston public school system since 2017 and I am still teaching to this day. As educators, we often have to provide materials for our students out of our own pockets. While this is something we do selflessly because we know that the reward is beyond what we might spend, it can still be overwhelming to do so. The first time I ever publicly appealed for funds was when our classroom was ruined because of extreme flooding during the 2017-2018 school year. After that, I have raised money for resources in our classroom such as books, school supplies and technology. My students receiving the tools to make them successful and to ease the burden on their parents is very important to me.
This time I am asking for your help to obtain my master's degree so that I can continue advocating for students through better teaching practices. Teaching to me is the career I have always wanted to have. Especially during these uncertain times, it drives me to want to keep learning and push myself more as a teacher. This is why I made the decision to go back to school. To further my studies and to be able to help students on a larger scale once I receive my degree. Every contribution will go towards tuition, textbooks and other school fees. Despite the negative image our current society has on immigrants, I know that my personal life has always been filled with positivity and good intentions. Many immigrants like myself wish to give back to our communities and make a difference. My goal is to educate and mentor children from all walks of life so that they too can be successful in this country. Thank you all for your support and please know that every contribution makes a difference.