Starr County students now published writers
Thirty Starr County students in Susan Ferguson’s English composition and literature classes at South Texas College’s Starr County Campus are now published writers. Their essays, which range in content from the demands of being a full-time student and mother to individual aspirations following graduation from college, are published online in the National Gallery of Writing.
The gallery is part of a project by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), which is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.
“The students welcomed this opportunity to share their perspectives about being college students at STC,” said Ferguson. “Many of them are in unique situations as first-generation college students or as students who must juggle demanding family, job and academic responsibilities. The NCTE project gives them a chance to tell the world about their challenges and triumphs. They are incredibly proud of their accomplishments as students and writers, and the Gallery of Writing venue allows their voices to be heard.”
Some of the entries are extremely poignant, touching on the real trials and tribulations faced by many students in higher education.
“My daughter has a disability and she needs to go to doctors very often, so that makes it hard for me because I would have to miss a lot of class for her doctor’s appointments. Emotionally, I believe that makes my goals harder to accomplish,” reads an essay by literature student Anabel Angulo. “Overall, I am doing my best to get good grades and accomplish my goal. I have many obstacles, but with effort and time, I will succeed in life so I can become a better person. I will give my children the best of me and set an example for both of them.”
Other entries focus on higher education as a pathway to change -- for society and for themselves as individuals.
“I used to say that once I would graduate, I would not come back to my hometown, but now that I see how my town is, it makes me want to come back and change it,” writes Kimberly Marchan, a dual-enrollment composition student. “I want this town to be more successful, for people not to be scared to come here because of the bad things in this town, and most importantly, for the next generations to come to follow in our steps. I want to be a change in the world, and I know that in order to do so I have to have an education. I look forward to being in the generation that a lot of important people come out of. We all dream of being someone special in life.”
Composition student Brenda Hernandez writes a powerful message about the value of college: “I attend a community college, and I couldn’t be any prouder of myself. I am who I want to be, because being here defines who I am. Being in college does not mean I’m smart, it means I want to be better. Being in college is trying harder; being in college is knowing what I want. I go to college to feed my brain, to make the difference. I take it seriously because I know it is. I don’t play with this, because I know it will affect the rest of my life. I go to college because I am the future, not just another girl.”
To view these works and more by STC students, visit http://www.galleryofwriting.org/galleries/388475.
