“We want Richman Park!”
“We want Richman Park!”
“We want Richman Park!”
Carrying a sign that towered over my little body, my five-year-old self sat on the shoulders of an unfamiliar woman. Despite not truly understanding the situation, as I shouted alongside my mother, brother and a line of other advocates in front of the Fullerton City Hall, I felt empowered beyond words.
The young woman I was sitting on radiated energy that seemed untouchable. The passion in her eyes, her steps and her shouts ignited an inextinguishable fire in me.
Despite the fact that this protest held no significant value outside of our small community — since it was a fight to reclaim a public sports practice field for communal use — the demonstration possessed the power to completely alter my perspective.
Though I was shouting with a crowd of people, my words resonated the loudest — at least to me. It opened my eyes to the fact that I have a voice to do something — to make a difference, to make a change and to make an impact.
As a minority, low-income student, I am no stranger to seeing injustices unravel in front of me, yet I have come to understand that my words have an impact.
The embers of the fire that started early on have carried on to every aspect in my life, especially as the co-feature editor for The Accolade, searching for ways to escape the pit of poverty and prosper.
In 2022 as a Journalism 1 student, I wrote a head-to-head column for The Accolade arguing why I believe it’s not worth taking the SAT given that I think it serves as another barrier for low-income college applicants, such as myself.
Staying true to my words, I applied to universities test-optional with no scores to submit.
However, I did consider other ways to help me stand out in a competitive application process: Questbridge.
Using the platform given to me by the newspaper, I wrote a column for our first issue of the school year about my experience in this connective program for students with a lower socioeconomic status.
Now, as I sit down to write for the last print piece of the year and my high school experience, I can confidently say my Questbridge journey proved successful.
I will be attending USC in the fall as a political science major on the pre-law track without the shadow of debt looming over my pursuit of higher education.
Having paid no money for college applications through the program, I received two scholarships, the Angels Scholar full-ride scholarship and the $12,000 Dad’s House Foundation Scholarship, with a good financial aid package that covered my $91,000 total tuition with extra money to use for miscellaneous university needs.
Five-year-old me would not recognize 18-year-old me. My words were heard, and money did not limit me.
If I could go back to that moment when I sat on the girl’s shoulder, I would tell little me that it’s okay to feel empowered, to want to speak up and to want to make a difference — future Giselle got you.
Although college is just four years of one’s life, it’s a huge step towards my path of excellence. Staying true to the Trojan tradition, I will continue to “fight on” and look for opportunities that pull me out of the hole of injustice and onto the same playing field as privileged students.
In the future, I aim to inspire others to vocalize their opinions and fight for what they believe in. Hopefully, my story serves as the spark that sets ablaze the small light in others’ hearts.
