One Year at a Time

STORY BY MIREYA TAGLE

ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEPHANIE HOLT

A four-year journey of challenges and new experiences.

The past four years have been a rollercoaster of emotions and learning experiences. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that, in a couple of weeks, I will be graduating college and begin conquering my dreams. The road has not been easy, but all the obstacles I have overcome have prepared me to face whatever obstacle may be next. I grew up in the city of Cudahy, a small town in Southeast Los Angeles, and attended a K-12 school. I grew up with the same people I met when I was five years old and was used to seeing familiar faces year after year. I had the same teachers for multiple years, which allowed me to really get to know them.

In 2016, I began my college career. When I stepped foot onto the campus, I felt like a small fish in a big pond. I came from a graduating high school class of 175 students to a university with nearly 40,000 students. I was swimming in uncharted waters.

OPEN TO CHANGE As a freshman, I felt lost at times. I wasn’t used to how big Cal State Long Beach was or the number of students in a single lecture hall. I was scared of being judged, letting down my family and not being as smart as I thought I was. Freshman year was all about being open to change. Entering sophomore year, I was feeling more comfortable with my classes and was adjusting much better to school and work. I was taking more journalism courses that really interested me and kept me wanting to learn more. I finally realized what career path I wanted to pursue: I envisioned myself as a reporter at a Spanish language network and signing off saying, “Desde Los Angeles, yo soy Mireya Tagle.”

THE STORM AFTER THE CALM In my second year in college, my family and I lost everything we had in a house fire. So many memories were lost in a matter of minutes. Family videos on VHS cassettes, photographs, all my books and notes had gone up in flames. At that moment, I felt that all my hard work in high school, and up to that point in college, had gone down the drain. All the certificates I had earned over the years, all the college acceptance letters I had kept as memories and all the work I had completed as a college student thus far were all gone. I have always prioritized school and continue to do so today, but during times like the fire, all I thought about was helping out my family and rebuilding. I started contemplating taking a semester or even a year off from school. My family did not want me to do such a thing. “Has avanzado mucho, no puedes renunciar ahora,” my mom said. "You are so ahead, you can't give up now." My brother told me that I should not do something that we both knew I was going to regret. He reassured me that together we were going

to get through it all one way or another. He made me open my eyes about the situation. That, by far, was the hardest semester both personally and academically. I was trying to stay afloat on assignments while trying to relocate with my family. College is not as easy as they make it out to be in movies, so surrounding myself with great people all these years helped anchor me down. They helped me get old Mireya back, but better than ever.

NADA EN ESTA VIDA ES PARA SIEMPRE Junior year was a year of acceptance and becoming more confident in myself and in my work. I immersed myself in school, began my Spanish minor and was determined to continue my education and grow as a student. I finally decided to go to my professors' office hours, something I had never done before. Staying focused on school and myself made me become the woman I am today. That year, I learned that “nada en esta vida es para siempre,” as my mom would always say. It means: Nothing in life is forever.

If I could talk to 18-year-old Mireya, I would tell her: Let go of the rail. Stop worrying so much about things that aren’t in your control. Try not to procrastinate, because you know how hard staying up late can be, even after several cups of coffee. Lastly, don’t be scared of change. Once you take that leap, you learn to become stronger. Change is good.

A NEW CHAPTER I am anxiously awaiting graduation as months turn into weeks. Looking back on the past, I am glad I decided to continue my education, because it has opened a gateway to new possibilities. The possibilities are endless. Maybe I’ll be working at a lifestyle magazine, becoming an entertainment reporter or even becoming a radio personality. Who knows what the future might hold for me?

I am a bit scared, but I mean, who isn’t? I will soon be turning the last page in this chapter and getting ready to start a new one. I am ready.

Don't be afraid to choose your own path. Sometimes the road less traveled is the right direction to take.

Photo by Reina Suio

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