My name is Yesenia Rullas. I am 43 years old, and I was born and raised in Mexico. I came to the US for a better life. I currently live in the city of Prosser in Washington, where I have resided for the last few years. I am the mother of two kids, a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter. I currently attend Grandview College, where I am taking ESL classes.
My hopes are to complete the third level of the ESL curriculum and shift to start taking classes that are related to my field of study. When I was in Mexico, I studied psychology and graduated with a degree in that major; however, my degree has no standing in the US. I want to use my degree and experience to help my community. I think I might do this by using my skills and becoming a teacher of some sort, but working in schools with children.
The reason why I attend community college is because of the accessibility to my home, which is only a ten-minute ride, and the fact that I do not have to pay for classes. The other closest college is a 40-minute car ride away. With car and gas prices high, I am grateful to have Grandview as my college.
When I was doing my GED, I could not take it at Grandview College due to the challenges that the pandemic brought. Due to the pandemic, all classes were offered only online and in English. Due to the language barrier, I was unable to take it there and instead finished my GED in Sunnyside. I had many challenges balancing my work and school life with my responsibilities as a mother. I am grateful for my teacher because he was very accessible by allowing me to only go to class two days a week instead of the usual five days a week that is expected. However, I think this highlights the need for schools to be more inclusive of the challenges of non-traditional students; accommodations should come from the school, not the teachers. This can look like more funding for wraparound services such as childcare and creating curriculums that accommodate the needs of non-traditional students.
Moreover, my biggest concern with my professional goals is my ability to see if I can continue studying due to my immigration status. There is a lack of knowledge with school advisors and a lack of information on undocumented students, especially non-DACA. Without a social security number, there is also a lack of opportunities and uncertainty about our professional future during and after school. Most jobs we can get tend to be physically laborious and require long hours, which makes it hard to succeed in school. In my last job, I almost had no days off, making it hard to incorporate school into my schedule.
The cost of college is rising every year, and while I’ve not had to pay for my ESL classes, I will have to if I continue to pursue a psychology degree. With most of my income going towards rent, bills, and my children, it will be difficult to pay for school. This is a sentiment that most of my classmates and community members face, which is why we need community college and wraparound service free, now!
Yesenia Rullas, Prosser