Summer — 2011

Monica Toscano

English/Psychology

“I’m 40, and I had thought that, for me, it was all over. I was, like, my life is going to be in real estate, and that’s it. But I was wrong.”

Monica Toscano came here from Guadalajara, Mexico, over 18 years ago, and reports some surprising facts about the state of education there. “If I was in Mexico, I couldn’t afford to go to college, because it’s just super expensive. It’s a lot cheaper to live back home, but to get a higher education is just about impossible. Here,” she continues, “it’s not free, but it’s cheap. And SMC has helped me a lot by making financial aid available.”

Monica plans “to go into social work, because I would love to be working with a nonprofit organization to help less fortunate kids out. More than anything, I would like to work with Spanish-speaking people and families with low incomes in this country. I’ve been looking on the Internet for nonprofits, and I know that I’m going to need my AA degree—minimum.” But the future might see Monica advocating for women’s rights as well. “Last summer, I had this amazing women’s studies class with Christina Preciado, and it really opened my eyes. Even though I’ve lived here for many years, I had no idea that women in this country couldn’t vote or own property for the longest time. They had no rights. And Christina always made her classes very interactive by making sure that we all got to talk. It was a great experience for all of us, both the teacher and all her students.”

Monica states, “I see a lot of my classmates that are taking SMC for granted. I think that many of them don’t understand the opportunity—the privilege—that they’re being given to study here. And I would say to them that it’s an honor to be at this college. So they should put into it all the energy and hours that they can possibly give.”

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