Deisy G-R
San Francisco State University
B.A. in Sociology & Criminal Justice Minor
What has been the biggest overall lesson that going to college has taught you?
The prestige and a degree is not going to guarantee your success, or entitle you; it is YOU that has to use the degree as a tool to navigate this complicated life. A degree is only a resource that we have and can never be taken away from us. No one can take away our education, so keep on learning.
What did you learn about yourself?
What I learned about myself that I didn't know when I first entered college was that I am capable of doing what ever I set my mind to do. I learned that I was always worthy of all the good that has came into my life and more.
Rate your experience
at college:
2020 & 2021 were extremely challenging under the confinement and constant menace of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully there were some silver lining and lessons learned.
Tell us about the highlights or accomplishments of this academic year 2020/21, in spite of all!
A highlight for me during the COVID pandemic was that I learned how to lower my pride and actually learn to rely on my professors and classmates for help in any capacity; I learned to put my guard down and allowed myself to be vulnerable with my emotions and thoughts. I learned how to use my voice as a form of resistance and as a form of empowering myself after being silenced for so long in my life in many capacities.
Thinking of the whole 4 years, what were the greatest challenges you faced? How did you overcome them?
These past 4 years have been hectic. Within my first year of college, I almost lost my older brother to a rare disease, Autoimmune Encephalitis (Limbic), and my grandma on my father's side passed away that same year in 2017.
My second year of college, I was in the most unhealthy relationship ever, I was the victim of domestic abuse by the person I was dating at the time.
My third year, my older brother was being falsely accused of a crime he did not commit and was about to go to jail for over 15 years. Thank God that we kept fighting the system for about a year to clear his name... And my final year of college, my grandma on my mother's side died and I was super close to her...
With all of these big traumatic events happening and other micro issues happening simultaneously; I never pictured myself ever giving up on my education. I knew that no matter what I was going through I could not give up on school or let it affect me in any way, so I always made sure to take advantage of my education; I would use college as my escape from reality and give it my all.
I always thought of my mom, she's the strongest female figure I know and I knew I could not disappoint her. But I also kept my emotions from everyone and shifted the emotions I kept in and used that energy in other outlets, such as hiking with my dog, dancing and weight lifting which helped me even more to clear my mind from the issues and stay focused on my priorities.
What were your proudest accomplishments or highlights from attending college?
Some of my proudest moments was being on Dean's List for majority of my college years. Another proud moment was learning that I am capable of doing online classes, but I still will always prefer in person classes/ lectures. I was also proud of my identity board that I did my second semester of college; it really made me rethink who I was as a person and how others might see me; it allowed me to be creative without using words to describe myself in detail.
If you could go back in time 4 years ago, what would you tell your 18 year old self? If you could do-over, what would you do differently?
If I can go back in time 4 years ago, I would tell 18 year old Deisy that she should not be afraid to ever use her voice as a form of resistance and empowerment; she should continue to be the scholar she is and not let anyone stand in the way of your success. Learn how to let people go the first time they show you that they are not your real friend. She should also learn to love herself more and know that she is worthy of all the good that God is sending to her. She should also learn to trust herself and her intuition.
What advice would you give to an incoming freshman?
Advice I would give an incoming freshman is to always have more than just one plan, life changes in an blind of an eye and sometimes, you are put into situations that are out of one's control. Always take your time, because rushed things never last. And everything happens when they're the post to happen in due time, trust the process.
Now that you have graduated, have you formulated any new short term / long term goals?
Now that I have graduated, a short term plan is to use this upcoming year as a year to work and save as much money as I can for grad school. I will be applying to grad school this upcoming Fall. A long term goal is to love myself more; be in tune with my emotions and finally grieve properly about the death of my grandma's and allow myself to feel and express my emotions.
How did being a Bella Scholar contribute to the success of achieving your goals?
Being a Bella Scholar has contributed to the success of achieving my goals in many ways; first, it has taken away the financial burden off my mom's shoulders. With the scholarship I received, it allowed it so that I did not have to pay for any college expenses and my mom didn't have to struggle or stress about how she was going to scrape up extra money or make money stretch so we can have a roof over our heads and food in the fridge while paying for my schooling. Also, by being in the program, I had Anita as a shoulder to lean on and vent to when things got hard, at times I wasn't able to fully open up but the times I was able to talk to her, I knew I had someone I can trust and rely on if anything were to occur that could guide me to overcoming the adversities.