Ana Sofía Reyes, '17

The Return

     At the beginning of the summer of 2014 I did not foresee that I would not be going back to College of the Holy Cross in the fall, but what I knew for certain was that my aunt was terminally ill and I was travelling to Colombia to say goodbye to her. While in Colombia, my parents and I found the time to talk about my academic past and future and we decided it was best for me, both academically and personally, to stay in Colombia, to enroll in medical school, and to live independently in an apartment. Whilst living in Colombia I was solely in charge of and responsible for managing my money, paying my bills, and taking care of my well-being and academic success. This was putting into practice how my parents, specifically my mom, had raised me to be- an empowered and independent woman.

     As a kid, I saw my mom take charge of her life and go for what she wanted without letting obstacles impede her way. Since I can remember, I have been the way my mom is, a natural leader with a persistent personality; therefore, in part, my mom is what led me to declare my concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies. My interest in Women’s and Gender Studies has many facets, but what I have learned thus so far through my classes, personal relationships, and my experiences in Colombia is how I can be a feminist and a woman for others. I am proud of what I believe in and both through my thoughts and actions I am a leader blazing a trail for my generation in addition to future generations.

     After returning to Holy Cross in the spring, I enrolled in psychology, philosophy, and economics willing to learn more about each field. I decided to major in economics because it is in its nature interdisciplinary, including philosophy, psychology, and history which all interest me. It was not an easy decision to switch from studying pre-medicine/medicine to majoring in economics because my dad’s dream for me is to become a doctor, but I know that medicine is not my deepest passion. Through my process of deciding pre-medicine/ medicine versus not medicine, I have learned to follow my inner “gut” feeling and stand resolutely for what I believe to be best.

     Although I have been lucky enough to develop certain attributes from more conventional ways, I have also experienced great failures that have taught me important lessons. In high school, I was the member of a nationally renowned cross-country team, but I was consistently the slowest or second slowest runner on the team. At times it was extremely challenging unfailingly coming in last, but I attribute several aspects of my personal strength to my high school running career of ten seasons. Of many skills, the main three include: determination (despite all the obstacles including disbelief from people around you), the power of improvement brought to you through persistence, and understanding the vitality of a cohesive team to support one another through the fire.