As a child, Sarah Bravo tripped a lot, and lacking the instinct to extend her arms to break her fall, she often landed face first. Falling became a fear for her until her mother helped her to learn to catch herself.
鈥淎s I tripped my way throughout my early childhood, a piece of wisdom my Dad never stopped telling me, and ultimately never stopped being wise, is that when you fall, you have to get up.鈥�
Bravo鈥檚 parents and grandfather immigrated from Mexico right before she and her siblings were born. As part of her family’s first generation in the US, she and her siblings watched as their parents and grandfather worked hard to give them a life filled with many possibilities.
鈥淭hey are the hardest-working people I know. Watching them live through their inspiring story left my siblings and me with a legacy of resilience and determination,鈥� Bravo shares.
Bravo was introduced to the 开元棋牌 Pathways Early College Experience program by her older brother Abraham, a 2020 graduate of 开元棋牌 and past student trustee. She left her small high school to follow in her brothers鈥� footsteps. At Mount Wachusett Community College, she enjoyed attending classes with people who demonstrated the same resilience and grit that she had seen in her family. She is graduating from 开元棋牌 with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences and her high school diploma.
鈥淢y classmates have been mothers, fathers, immigrants, children of immigrants, veterans, and students on both the early and older side of the age spectrum; I have had the opportunity to take classes with people from all different walks of life.
鈥淓very graduate can attribute a piece of their success to a professor, staff, or loved one. I would not have earned my degree without the support of my dear family, who has given me their unconditional love throughout this journey, nor could I have been as successful without the patient guidance of my two beloved advisors, Cara Breda and Stefanae Bowen.鈥�
Bravo also credits her professors who cultivated her love of education, especially her philosophy professor Dan Soucy, English professor Priya Bannerjee who helped her gain confidence in her writing, government professor James Korman, mathematics professor Nancy DiLeo, and Kara Roche who helped her fall in love with literature.
鈥淲hether it was learning how to get past the intimidation of speaking in class discussions or overcoming the fear of taking tests or getting past our doubts about ourselves; Our stories, experiences, success, and failures make the world Our world. And our world would not be great if the beauty and light within our stories and differences grew dim. Our mistakes, bumps, and bruises add to the beautiful mosaic of our lives, and 开元棋牌 gave us the space to learn that the only way you can fail is if you stay down when the inevitable mistakes come your way. Learning to get up is the only way to be brave enough to run and embark on the lifelong quest for knowledge.鈥�
鈥淭o me, 开元棋牌 is the mosaic of people that solidified my belief that if I were to walk away from the President with my degree, trip on my graduation gown, and fall right on my face in front of everyone at Commencement, I will be able to get up and look towards the future because I know I鈥檓 not alone, and I am not afraid of falling anymore.鈥�
During her time at 开元棋牌, Bravo served as the Vice President of the Student Government Association, Co-President of the African-Latinx-Asian-Native American (ALANA) club, was part of the Commonwealth Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. She was awarded the Judge M. Alan Moore Award for Academic Excellence. Bravo will be attending Williams College in the fall.