“Behind every success is effort… Behind every effort is passion….. Behind every passion is someone with the courage to try…”
Today is one of the biggest days in my life. Today is also the last day of my schooling which I received my master. In my commencement, the speaker said only 8% receives their master and I am one of those 8%. In my immediate family, I am the only one to receive my masters. One gal next to me said she experienced a lot while studying her master. She told me that she had finished her exam online then she had her baby. There is a lot of sacrifice when you have a passion for something more than yourself. While studying my masters in last 2 years.. I have experienced joy, studied a lot in the library, writing late nights, experienced a lot tears, moved to different homes, being unemployed, going into the mission field to preach the gospel, having fears, laughing, having the love in my life standing close to me, have the greatest mentors in my life, meeting new friends, trust in the Lord, lost a dad to cancer. My dad’s last few words to me were to finish my masters. I told my dad I would.. I wanted to be a doctor one day. One day it will happen. I will get my Ph. D when I am 50 something. G-d helped me get through my education with a learning disability and anything is possible in life. As my dad said to me once, “You can do anything and all things are possible with Christ.”
These are the moments with my family and friends at my graduation on a beautiful day in Dallas, TX.
Isleen Rodriguez
