Photo of my property.
What advice would you give yourself if you could travel back to your childhood self?>
There was a time in my teenage years when I found myself looking for someone else to make decisions for me, especially regarding my higher education. I sought help in high school, but to no avail. The guidance teacher, who was supposed to clear our doubts about the many majors available and help us choose the right one so we wouldn't drop out or try to change majors because we didn't like them or weren't comfortable with them, never helped us with that.
At home, my dad advised me to study accounting, but my math grades were never good; on the contrary, they were always 10/20 or lower. My mom advised me to study medicine, but I immediately rejected that option since it requires 10 years of study and a 24-hour commitment to be a good student.
And what did I like? I always did well in languages. I was a 20-point student in English, and French too. I like Italian, although it's not considered a major, but there was a Modern Languages degree.
When it was time to enroll in college, my grades weren't good enough to get me a spot, so I still had the option of private universities. Only one university offered that program, and it was very expensive, so my parents couldn't afford the tuition.
What would you tell your childhood self to do differently? What would you suggest starting, creating, or changing to improve it?
I would tell my teenage self to speak up. I'm still a very shy person, but now I speak up a little more, raise my voice, and give my opinion. I would have had a conversation with my parents to convince them to help me get into college and fulfill my dream, which was also their dream: to graduate and pursue a career in some field.
I would have made a deal to help them by getting a job to help them pay their tuition and other expenses. Perhaps they would have liked to see my decision to become a graduate in Modern Languages, and they would have been very proud of me, not only for being a professional but for being a person who handled her difficulties like a grown-up.
