Carmen Gaston (The Beacon)
By Carmen Gaston, Guest Commentary
I am the daughter of Chinese immigrants who were taught to value education in Catholic missionary schools. With little more than their Catholic faith and the hope of a better life, my parents borrowed travel funds and boarded a ship to the United States in 1968.
Although my parents faced many difficult times when they arrived, they spoke English well enough to establish themselves and find work. My father worked three part-time jobs and attended college while my mother worked full time in a sewing factory. Like you soon will, my father graduated during a recession. However, because of his college degree he managed to build a career in retail. It was not the corner office at a Fortune 500 company, but it provided for our family and future.
My parents' hard work and sacrifice provided access to education for the next generation, enabling us to improve our socio-economic status and sometimes cross barriers such as race and gender. Typical for a Chinese family of their generation, my parents saved and scraped to make college possible for their son. With only average high school grades and no money saved up, I was never bound for college. Through financial aid, I moved into Mehling Hall in 1992.
My four years at UP were transformative. I was on CPB, Orientation Crew, ran NCAA track for a year, studied in Salzburg and was involved in Campus Ministry. With recommendations from both Fr. Art and Br. Donald, I went to law school.
The year I finished law school was a very difficult time for graduates looking for jobs. Fortunately, I was offered a job that led to a position managing a company's overseas products including assignments in Scandinavia, France, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. I was later recruited to work at John Deere.
Despite its down-home image, John Deere is a Fortune 500 company and a market leader. They recruit from the top business schools: Harvard, Duke, Dartmouth and Northwestern. In my first interview, they thought UP was a state school and they had trouble pronouncing my law school's name. I was very intimidated, but landed the job. Once there, I felt just as prepared as my Ivy League co-workers. UP gave me the skills to excel while maintaining the humility to learn from others.
You may question your competitiveness as you near graduation, but I can tell you from personal and professional experience that you are well prepared.
Besides the value of a UP education, I want to leave you with some advice:
Be open to new opportunities and work hard. You may not land the job you were hoping for immediately after graduation, or even any job, but stay open to new opportunities such as internships and lesser positions. You never know where they could lead. Don't forget to work hard.
Be frugal, but live well. Nationwide, the average debt of a college graduate is $25,250. I finished UP with over $20,000 in student loans in 1996. After law school, I had over $120,000 in student loans. I was still poor! However, that post-graduation period made me discern what was important in life. I valued relationships and lifestyle over possessions. I had many nights of crock pot dinners and cross country skiing, but I spent time with friends and traveled extensively through work. I lived well.
Although the loans were overwhelming, I made my last student loan payment five years after finishing law school. With a little focus, you can too. For those of you fortunate to graduate with no debt, be thankful and still be frugal.
Give back. Take to heart UP's mission and give of your time, talent and treasure. Your education was planned thoughtfully and deliberately at UP. All of you have participated in volunteer work both on and off campus. The need for your help, and the benefits you earn by giving it, do not go away after you graduate. We send you forth after graduation to improve the world, whatever your field.
Never forget your roots, especially UP. UP and the Congregation of Holy Cross were instrumental in my life and I am sure they are in yours. I made my first gift to the University in 2005 and my first gift to the Congregation of Holy Cross last year. Although I am far from wealthy, I am rich in relationships and experiences and I want others to have the same opportunity that my parents and I had. I hope you will do the same.
