In the spring of 9th grade year, I unequivocally learned that the ideas some people had about what being a Latina might mean could actually impact my life. As I met my HS guidance counselor for the first time to register for sophomore year classes, it wasn’t my perfect grades or cheery disposition he was struck by. It was that I was Puerto Rican, and he had an idea of what being Puerto Rican meant.
“I think we need to be a little more practical,” he said, after eyeballing the Honors classes I had put on my wish list.
He pulled out the list of classes our award-winning vocational department offered, and something in my mind clicked. I had no problem with taking vocational classes- my mom had enrolled me in a night school typing class that I loved when I was in 6th grade and I knew how important practical and trade skills were, but I also knew that the mostly vocational course load he was changing me to would never get me into the University of Virginia. And UVA is where I wanted to go to college. But he didn’t ask that.
I knew what had just happened wasn’t right, but I also knew I wasn’t supposed to question adults. Walking out of that office, the possibilities in my world shifted smaller. Just as I was about to step into the hall, another guidance counselor saw my devastated face (I have the world’s most transparent face. This usually does not play in my favor. This 1 time, it did).
“Are you okay?”
I paused, keenly aware that what I said in that moment would betray either the guidance counselor who had just redone my schedule or me. The good girl in me wanted to say nothing. The survivor in me wanted to spill it all. I chose to be true to me.
A few years later, my new guidance counselor dared me to apply schools I had never heard of, to see what options were out there for me. I never applied to UVA; I am not sure if my confidence never fully returned after that conversation with my first guidance counselor or if my dreams shifted. That doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that someone showed me, at a critical time, that I did not have to settle for what someone else thought my capability was. My dreams mattered.
In 2008, a group of compassionate women with an unwavering sense of justice conceived Circle de Luz in order to take on the issues of resource equity, educational access, and empowerment in our community. Since then, our circle has grown to over 300 women from all over the world committed to this cause and we have worked tirelessly to radically empower young Latinas by supporting their transformation through extensive mentoring, holistic programming and scholarship funds for further education.
Circle de Luz does our work by selecting a small cohort group of Latinas in 7th grade whom we then follow until HS graduation. During the 6 years of the program, we offer the girls holistic programming and thoughtful group and individual mentoring. Our developmental model requires that the girls have exposure to programs that support their academic readiness, career awareness, college preparations, personal growth, arts exposure, and more.
Today, I am writing to ask you to become part of the circle. As a member of the circle—a mija (the Spanish word for girlfriend)—you contribute just $100 a year for each of the six years the girls are in the program to support their post-secondary education. When our participants graduate, they receive a minimum of a $5,000 scholarship to support their further education. The Class of 2022 will hail from Eastway Middle School in Charlotte, NC, and our goal is to support the future dreams of 8 young women through that class. To do that, we need 50 more women to join the circle before the end of August.
Won’t you join me in the circle? Because when we succeed in our efforts, it is not just insular. Entire communities change. And if we want our community, our world to be as strong, vital, positive, and healthy as possible, we have to connect to one another.
Together, we can empower these amazing young women to be true to themselves.
You in? Complete this Letter of Commitment (no need to send your contribution now) and mail it to Circle de Luz PO Box 2 Davidson, NC 28036 or email it to karinavogel@circledeluz.org.
