A ‘difficult but very fulfilling journey’

Alondra Avila Santana graduating with dual degrees in liberal studies and Spanish

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 15^th, 2024

Mexico native Alondra Avila Santana’s dream of attending college in the U.S. almost never came to fruition.

After immigrating at age 17 to live with her mother in Delano, she faced many difficulties adjusting to high school there. She struggled to learn English and navigate the cultural differences of a new country.

After spending her sophomore year and a portion of her junior year in Delano, Santana had enough and decided to return to living with her grandmother in Mexico and finish out high school there.

“It was such a hard time for me,” she said. “I didn’t think I could make it here and that going back to Mexico was the easier route to take.”

Santana had no trouble graduating from high school in her hometown of Zacatecas, Mexico, but she soon realized she had made a mistake in coming back.

“After I graduated, I hit rock bottom. I felt lost,” she said. “I didn’t have access to many opportunities in Mexico, and I realized that my future looked brighter in the U.S. I told myself it was time to make a transition. I knew I was going to have challenges and still face those language and cultural barriers, but I was determined to overcome those barriers and just make the best out of the situation.”

Santana returned to Delano and attended adult school, where she focused on improving her English skills. By the time she began attending Bakersfield College in 2020, she was more comfortable with speaking, reading and writing in English. She transferred to California State University, Bakersfield in 2022 to continue her higher education journey.

“I’m a first-generation student, but most of my family have attended CSUB, so it felt right,” she said.

Now, two years later, Santana is graduating from the university this week with dual degrees in liberal studies and Spanish. She has also been recognized by the School of Social Sciences and Education as one of its outstanding undergraduates.

“I’m so extremely grateful to be able to graduate to show my family and myself that I could do it,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t know how to give myself enough credit. I’ve worked really hard improving myself every day. I thank everyone who has been a part of this difficult but very fulfilling journey.”

Academic Advisor Araceli Esparza said being able to help guide Santana and see her grow over the course of her time at CSUB has been an honor for her.

“Despite all the barriers she encountered, she never gave up,” she said. “Alondra used every challenge as a learning opportunity, and that is something that is both admirable and inspirational. Alondra deserves nothing but success and happiness in all her endeavors. We will definitely miss her but wish her all the best!”

Overcoming obstacles

Santana was excited about the opportunities that immigrating to America and attending high school here would give her. However, she quickly realized it was going to be more challenging that she thought.

She often had a difficult time understanding her teachers and fellow students. For her first semester, she was placed in a class specifically for English learners.

“I didn’t know how to interact with others because they didn’t understand what I’m saying and I couldn’t understand what they were saying,” she said. “That was difficult for me because I’ve always been a social person. I do enjoy one-on-one interactions and getting to know other people, and I couldn’t do that, so I felt like I couldn’t be myself.”

Santana was committed to learning English and spent hours translating her textbooks so she could complete her homework assignments. Her knowledge of English improved to the point where she was able to move into a general classroom. She was able to better understand what people around her were saying, but that turned out to be both a blessing and a curse.

“Whenever I would be asked to participate in class, [students] would make fun of my accent. Back then it was a lot stronger than it is now,” she said.

Santana recalled when she decided to sign up to play basketball for physical education credit. She couldn’t understand what the coach was telling her to do.

“I thought I was going to be able to understand but I couldn’t,” she said. “I remember people were waiting for me to move, to do something, and I just didn’t. People started laughing at me. It was a huge deal to me at the time. When you’re a teenager, you’re not as emotionally stable. I was going through a lot of self-doubt.”

It wasn’t only students who fed Santana’s self-doubt. Early on after enrolling in high school, she talked with a counselor about moving into a regular classroom.

“I had a counselor who doubted my potential and told me I wasn’t there yet. That was a little discouraging,” she said.

That was the point when Santana realized that she wanted to work as a school counselor.

“I want to be the counselor who believes in their students who, instead of bringing them down supports their dreams,” she said.

'I feel I have grown so much'

When the time came for Santana to decide on a major at CSUB, she thought liberal studies would prepare her for working with students. She decided to double-major in Spanish to prepare her for working as a professional translator.

“I thought they would complement each other and I could switch to Spanish if I wanted to,” she said.

Completing the requirements for two majors has kept Santana extremely busy. She consistently took over 17 units a semester — sometimes as many as 23 units — while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and juggling work responsibilities.

Santana worked at the Kegley Center for Student Success during her first year at CSUB, first as a tutor and then as a learning specialist. She was able to help students on the men’s basketball team receive academic support and make sure they were on track to graduate. Santana enjoyed being able to help meet these students’ needs and see them succeed.

“I was living my dream job in a sense because I was kind of a counselor,” she said.

Athletics Academic Advisor Bobbi Evans-Santiago said Santana was a great addition to the Kegley Center team.

“I learned from Alondra and felt confident about her ability to work independently and take the lead when supporting students on a one-on-one session,” he said. “Alondra was the best student I have had the opportunity to support. I enjoyed getting to know Alondra's story and having her learn from student-athletes about culture, perspective and life.”

Santana has been working full-time as a substitute teacher for the Greenfield Union School District. She said it’s been a great learning experience that has taught her about how to work with students, mostly at the middle-school level.

“I feel I have grown so much as a teacher and as a person,” she said. “I’m creating relationships with these students, and that makes it really worth it. Every day, I encounter a situation I hadn’t before, and I have to figure out a way to approach it the best way I can. It’s very challenging, but in a good way.”

While time management was a significant challenge, Santana said she always felt supported at CSUB.

“It was a great experience,” she said. “CSUB has so many different resources. I knew if I needed something, I was going to be able to find it at CSUB.”

Santana may be graduating this week, but her experience at the university isn’t over. She will begin her journey pursuing a master’s in counseling with a concentration in student affairs this fall.

Santana hopes to one day be able to work at CSUB as an academic counselor so she can help students just like herself.

“That is my dream. There’s nothing I would love more than to give back to the school that helped me achieve my goals,” she said. “I’ve always believed knowledge is a very powerful tool and that if you make an effort to learn, you’re going to go many places. We all get out of life whatever we are willing to put into it, and I decided I want to get the most out of life. I cannot believe how far I’ve come.”