How the heck did I get here? Educational Journey Map
It all started on June 1, 1998. Born Vianka Isabel Brito Mercedes, I am the first daughter of two immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic. My story begins in New York, where my whole family currently still lives, streets filled with music, a city that continues to live even when the rest of the world sleeps. New York has always inspired me; it has made me dream dreams bigger than what my ancestors could have imagined. I do not want to romanticize the city of New York, but to someone with a family from a third-world country, where New York is one of the few places you know in the U.S., the city was a place where anything could happen.
That's what sparked it all for me: the weight of carrying my ancestors' wildest dreams and the life my parents left behind in hopes of their children having better opportunities. As a child, my parents always expected more from me than my three brothers. Though I am the second to last, and my two older brothers are 7 and 8 years older than me, I was the one my parents depended on because I was the only girl. I started in a Head Start program when I was four and developed a love for socializing and talking…a lot. I engaged in play-based learning to build my social skills and enhance my emotional intelligence. I learned basics that would lay the foundation for my educational journey. From there, I moved to elementary school, where I excelled. I took a test and transferred to a new school where I would start with the gifted program. I loved being praised for my accomplishments; no one I knew was in the gifted program. At E.W. Flynn Elementary School, I would be taken out of my class every day and go to the gifted class. Here, we would learn and challenge our minds, learn to play mahjong and chess, learn about national disasters (at this point, Hurricane Katrina), get involved in the school's community garden, and so much more. We participated in group activities that boosted our confidence and teamwork abilities. I was exposed to diverse educational techniques in my classroom and the gifted program. At Nathanael Greene Middle School, I was part of the advanced program; half of our school was divided. My classes were more demanding, but I excelled until now. I was in the 7th grade when I got my first C. I was devastated and thought that I was a complete failure. I always performed well, but the constant praise and pressure made me crack.
I love music; when it was time to go to high school, I really wanted to attend TAPA, the Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, my parents were not well informed and wanted me to pursue a more traditional education. I had to take a test to get into Classical High School; I was the only one in my family to get accepted. Classical was known as the best public high school in Rhode Island. This was a reputation that was constantly thrown at us in class. When we got lower grades, teachers would say to us, "If you can't take the pressure, you belong at the school next door," referencing Central High School. I quickly learned that I wasn't the most academic student and had to ensure I learned outside the classroom to make up for it. I joined the softball team at Classical, where I learned to work well on a team. I've been active at church my whole life; during my teenage years, I led our youth group and continue to lead worship during Sunday services. I also joined Youth in Action, volunteering at events that encourage social responsibility and community engagement.
I chose URI because of the Talent Development Program. My oldest brother had graduated from the program, and because I was undecided, I figured that an institution with more options would suit me best. I didn't know what I wanted to study, but I knew I didn't want anything in the STEM field. Being undecided did not fly with my Latina mother, and I had to choose a major immediately. It took some time to find out what I wanted to pursue. I ended up going from being Undecided > Education > Journalism > Spanish > Psychology > Communications & Human Development and Family Studies… and I still graduated in four years. I realized what I wanted to pursue for two main reasons. As a tour guide, I noticed a giant hole in admissions: the admissions team lacked diversity. When Spanish-speaking families would come to campus, they didn't understand what was being said to them because no one spoke to them in their language. I was outraged, so I took it upon myself to make a change. URI was founded in 1892, and in 2018, I gave the first-ever tour entirely in Spanish. I was brought to tears by the way the parents looked at me with gratefulness in their eyes. It brought me back to when I was a senior touring school, and I had to stand in the back to translate for my mom; learning everything while simultaneously teaching my mom was tricky. This is how I knew that I wanted to work in higher education because there are already barriers for immigrants or first-generation students, and I will help lessen the load. My second reason for choosing these majors was that I walked into the wrong class on the first day of class in my second semester sophomore year, and I didn't want to look like a loser by getting up…so I stayed. It was the best decision of my life.
My connections from my undergraduate years helped lead me to the role I currently serve, but before this, I worked as a work readiness coach at Skills for Rhode Island's Future in their Prepare RI Internship program. I helped connect high school juniors and college students to summer internships. It was a great experience, and I truly enjoyed my work and connecting students to jobs they would love, but I knew that my goal was higher education. I applied to URI and was offered the role of the Admission Officer for the Talent Development program, which was the greatest blessing because I now have a seat at the table and can accept students into the program. I wouldn't be where I am right now had it not been for Talent Development and knowing that I knew that I wanted to work with a program that would open doors for other students, too. "I have a dream for today, and because of Talent Development, I have a dream for tomorrow" - TD Alum.
I didn't want to get a Master's degree; truth be told, I wouldn't say I like school. Well- I don't particularly appreciate how school is structured because I was never a straight-A student. So, how did I even get to the point that I would consider college again, you may ask? My supervisor sat me down a few weeks ago and said (in a very kind and looking-out-for-me way), "Stop wasting your time. I can't move you up in your role if you don't have a Master's degree." Even then, I was on the fence. The real reason I'm here is because of my daughter. I want her to know that anything is possible if you work for it; I want to make her proud; I want her to have a good life and ample opportunities, so here I am. I will be part of the 8% of Latinas with a Master's degree. Hopefully, when she's older, that percentage will be higher.
That's what sparked it all for me: the weight of carrying my ancestors' wildest dreams and the life my parents left behind in hopes of their children having better opportunities. As a child, my parents always expected more from me than my three brothers. Though I am the second to last, and my two older brothers are 7 and 8 years older than me, I was the one my parents depended on because I was the only girl. I started in a Head Start program when I was four and developed a love for socializing and talking…a lot. I engaged in play-based learning to build my social skills and enhance my emotional intelligence. I learned basics that would lay the foundation for my educational journey. From there, I moved to elementary school, where I excelled. I took a test and transferred to a new school where I would start with the gifted program. I loved being praised for my accomplishments; no one I knew was in the gifted program. At E.W. Flynn Elementary School, I would be taken out of my class every day and go to the gifted class. Here, we would learn and challenge our minds, learn to play mahjong and chess, learn about national disasters (at this point, Hurricane Katrina), get involved in the school's community garden, and so much more. We participated in group activities that boosted our confidence and teamwork abilities. I was exposed to diverse educational techniques in my classroom and the gifted program. At Nathanael Greene Middle School, I was part of the advanced program; half of our school was divided. My classes were more demanding, but I excelled until now. I was in the 7th grade when I got my first C. I was devastated and thought that I was a complete failure. I always performed well, but the constant praise and pressure made me crack.
I love music; when it was time to go to high school, I really wanted to attend TAPA, the Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts. Unfortunately, my parents were not well informed and wanted me to pursue a more traditional education. I had to take a test to get into Classical High School; I was the only one in my family to get accepted. Classical was known as the best public high school in Rhode Island. This was a reputation that was constantly thrown at us in class. When we got lower grades, teachers would say to us, "If you can't take the pressure, you belong at the school next door," referencing Central High School. I quickly learned that I wasn't the most academic student and had to ensure I learned outside the classroom to make up for it. I joined the softball team at Classical, where I learned to work well on a team. I've been active at church my whole life; during my teenage years, I led our youth group and continue to lead worship during Sunday services. I also joined Youth in Action, volunteering at events that encourage social responsibility and community engagement.
I chose URI because of the Talent Development Program. My oldest brother had graduated from the program, and because I was undecided, I figured that an institution with more options would suit me best. I didn't know what I wanted to study, but I knew I didn't want anything in the STEM field. Being undecided did not fly with my Latina mother, and I had to choose a major immediately. It took some time to find out what I wanted to pursue. I ended up going from being Undecided > Education > Journalism > Spanish > Psychology > Communications & Human Development and Family Studies… and I still graduated in four years. I realized what I wanted to pursue for two main reasons. As a tour guide, I noticed a giant hole in admissions: the admissions team lacked diversity. When Spanish-speaking families would come to campus, they didn't understand what was being said to them because no one spoke to them in their language. I was outraged, so I took it upon myself to make a change. URI was founded in 1892, and in 2018, I gave the first-ever tour entirely in Spanish. I was brought to tears by the way the parents looked at me with gratefulness in their eyes. It brought me back to when I was a senior touring school, and I had to stand in the back to translate for my mom; learning everything while simultaneously teaching my mom was tricky. This is how I knew that I wanted to work in higher education because there are already barriers for immigrants or first-generation students, and I will help lessen the load. My second reason for choosing these majors was that I walked into the wrong class on the first day of class in my second semester sophomore year, and I didn't want to look like a loser by getting up…so I stayed. It was the best decision of my life.
My connections from my undergraduate years helped lead me to the role I currently serve, but before this, I worked as a work readiness coach at Skills for Rhode Island's Future in their Prepare RI Internship program. I helped connect high school juniors and college students to summer internships. It was a great experience, and I truly enjoyed my work and connecting students to jobs they would love, but I knew that my goal was higher education. I applied to URI and was offered the role of the Admission Officer for the Talent Development program, which was the greatest blessing because I now have a seat at the table and can accept students into the program. I wouldn't be where I am right now had it not been for Talent Development and knowing that I knew that I wanted to work with a program that would open doors for other students, too. "I have a dream for today, and because of Talent Development, I have a dream for tomorrow" - TD Alum.
I didn't want to get a Master's degree; truth be told, I wouldn't say I like school. Well- I don't particularly appreciate how school is structured because I was never a straight-A student. So, how did I even get to the point that I would consider college again, you may ask? My supervisor sat me down a few weeks ago and said (in a very kind and looking-out-for-me way), "Stop wasting your time. I can't move you up in your role if you don't have a Master's degree." Even then, I was on the fence. The real reason I'm here is because of my daughter. I want her to know that anything is possible if you work for it; I want to make her proud; I want her to have a good life and ample opportunities, so here I am. I will be part of the 8% of Latinas with a Master's degree. Hopefully, when she's older, that percentage will be higher.
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