Education was not a new concept for him or his family. In fact, it was not really a choice but an expectation that was inculcated since early years. A paradox of doctrination filled with common assumptions and realities of what an educated being entitles. Some of the early experiences transports him back to his high school years where acculturalization and assimilation where seem are the big topics at that time. He quickly discovered that the structures created for new comers had the ultimate goal of keeping them in school,avoid teen pregnancy and graduation,but not necessarly being college ready.

He choose with resistance from the school system to rejected to participate in the  English as a Second Language program,since the students involved appeared to stay behind instead of advancing to the courses needed to enroll in college. Most students did not have the math, science and English skills needed to graduate. Interesting enough, many of them were US-born with foreign backgrounds. This phenomenon hold to be true at graduation,when out of 30 students with Latino background only two were accepted to four year universities.

Many of them had not desire to go to college,but some others that did, were not fully prepared to embrace a higher education journey. For the walker, it was not really a choice, it was his reality. In his homeland for example, education meant the conservation of an elite status while for others meant freedom. According to Freire(1993), “if the conscientização threatens to place the status quo in question, it thereby seems to constitute a threat to freedom itself”(p.36).

In other societies, this might not be important, however, as we explore the Colombian structures of power and the different views of the political, and social climate that the country holds, one might understand the role of education as a denunciation of oppressive systems that criticizes a system. Therefore, to the point of Foucault, knowledge and power cannot be separated, in fact, the relationship reinforce one another (p.224).

As the walker emerges from an environmental quandary, the walker quickly discovers that the field of education had many similar characteristics as experienced before.  A system full of opportunities and constrains that prevented him from freely walking once again. At this point, the walker`s own experiences provided a new layer of awareness not experimented before. He had an above average formal education trajectory that allowed to him critically examined what was happening in his surroundings. 

During his time at the institution, he earned the respect and recognition from colleagues and students, for being responsive to the needs of cultural diverse students, for doing things differently, and for speaking up when no one would. He quickly discovered, that regardless of the tools he had, he was not going anywhere. In fact, he was submerging back to a repressive system that had other strategies in mind.  Feelings of doubt, fear and uncertainty governed his mind. He felt silently protesting, but regardless of what he did, his voice was not strong or loud enough.  At this point, he knew that service to the institution was culminating, and following Hirschman`s advice, he voice his courage through the following words:

            “While the journey of life takes us to many good and not so good situations, I am always very appreciative of the journey to get to the final destination. This journey involves working hard; taking risk, being truthful to yourself and making your voice heard because what you have to say to the world “DOES MATTER”.

My life as an immigrant child, with limited English Language has been a true example that the journey is for everyone. Yes, there are some people that have advantage and privilege over other, but in the end your “ACTIONS speaks LOUDER than WORDS”. Through this amazing journey I have met some extraordinary people that have contributed towards my growth and development as a student/friend and scholar.  My gratitude to everyone that believes in my work and especially to those that work daily with unhidden agendas “doing the right thing even when NO ONE is watching”. This is called CARACTER; Let me remind you how important that is. To conclude, I am not saying “Good Bye”, it is a “See you Later”.(Ramirez,2013).

The experience of departing was a sweet and sour experience, in one end the imagination of possibilities is exciting, but at the same time the emotions of leaving your comfortable environment is difficult at times. It is much like the process of institutional change where you have a complexity of factors and forces involved. Einser (2002), confirms this complexity by suggesting, “experiencing the environment is a process that is shaped by culture, influenced by language, impacted by beliefs, affected by values, and moderated by the distinctive features of that part of ourselves we sometime describe as our individuality”(p.1).

In the process of experiencing his environment while being truthful to his own needs of understanding the complexity of identity and the implications that this have in education provided him with opportunities to explore those concepts in the field of public education.