Nicole Espinal is used to being among the first. This past June, she graduated as a member of DREAM Charter High School\u2019s first 12th grade class. A few months later, she became one of the first DCHS alumni to pursue a four-year degree. And, along with her brother, she is among the first generation in her family to attend college.<\/p>\n
Paving the way for not only yourself, but also your family and future generations of students, is a large responsibility. But Nicole is up to the task. Before starting her second semester at Ithaca College this month, she met with DREAM to talk about being away from home, finding support, and taking on new challenges. Forever a DCHS \u201cFounder,\u201d she also shared her best advice for the future DREAM graduates following in her footsteps.<\/p>\n
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n DREAM: What was it about Ithaca that made it the school for you?<\/strong> DREAM: What are you studying?<\/strong> DREAM: Are there any activities, clubs, or teams that you\u2019re involved in at school?<\/strong> DREAM: What were some of your first impressions when you started college?<\/strong> DREAM: How are the classes in terms of difficulty?<\/strong> DREAM: What is your favorite thing about being in college?<\/strong> DREAM: What are some of the challenges?<\/strong> DREAM: What is something you wish you had known before you went to college?<\/strong> DREAM: How have DREAM and the Legends Program provided support?<\/strong> DREAM: If you were to give advice to current high school students preparing for college, what would you say?<\/strong> Nicole Espinal est\u00e1 acostumbrada a estar entre las primeras. El pasado mes de junio, se gradu\u00f3 como miembro de la primera promoci\u00f3n de 12.\u00ba grado de la escuela secundaria DREAM Charter. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":6852,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-4540","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-where-legends-lead","tag-alumni"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nNicole Espinal: At first, I didn\u2019t know anything about Ithaca, but the more I learned, I felt like I\u2019d be ok there. I enjoy being there, I\u2019m very comfortable, and the people are so nice. It was also easier for me to manage the lifestyle at Ithaca. In the city, there are way more people, it\u2019s way more clustered. You have to be more aware of yourself and your surroundings. But in Ithaca, you have more air and more space. You\u2019re able to be a little less on guard.<\/p>\n
\nNE: I was studying exercise science, but I switched my major to undecided. It wasn\u2019t really what I thought it was going to be\u2014I want to be around sports in my future, and thought pursuing that field would be the best way. Now I\u2019ve decided to see if there is another way for me to incorporate sports into my career.<\/p>\n
\nNE: In my second semester, I\u2019m going to become a part of PODER [Ithaca\u2019s Latinx student association]. It focuses on different heritages and Hispanic cultures coming together to talk about activities to do on campus, and life in general. My friends started going to their meetings, and they explained how inclusive it was\u2014I\u2019m Dominican, and they were around Dominican culture. When you\u2019re away from home, you try to find a little bit of your roots. I feel like I\u2019ve found a perfect space where I would feel comfortable and like I\u2019m back at home.<\/p>\n
\nNE: When I first got there, it was rough because I didn\u2019t know anyone. But throughout freshman orientation, I made a couple friends and started to feel comfortable. It was like summer camp, that first week. But when classes first started, it kicked in a bit\u2014that responsibility and independence, and how you have to be on top of your work and your job, because no one else is going to do it for you. From there, it was all about making sure I was ok mentally, ok with my grades, and that I knew what I was doing. I got into the routine of things after a while. I also have a great group of friends at Ithaca, and we talk about a lot of things going on in our lives, making sure we are all mentally ok. As long as you have somebody that\u2019s there for you, I think you\u2019ll get into the routine of things.<\/p>\n
\nNE: The classes I took were a mix of independent and group-based. The professors are very honest, and understanding, especially because of the pandemic. My professors understood that mental health was a very big factor. If you couldn\u2019t make it to class, they were understanding. The classes were somewhat academically hard, but if you paid attention in class and took the right notes, you\u2019d be ok.<\/p>\n
\nNE: The independence that I gained. When I\u2019m in the city, I\u2019m with my mom, my parents. I have to make sure they\u2019re ok, that I\u2019m ok. It\u2019s a lot of responsibility. But when you\u2019re away, it\u2019s just you.<\/p>\n
\nNE: In the beginning, I was overwhelmed and stressed. I had to make an adult decision to change my major, and that was very different because I\u2019ve always had my parents to rely on to make that decision for me. But I made it, and it went well. Another challenge was taking care of myself, and learning how to be responsible for my mental and physical health.<\/p>\n
\nNE: How many different cultures and people you\u2019re going to be around. Not everyone is from the same place you are, so you have to be more aware and open to different things. If I had stayed in the city for school, it wouldn\u2019t have been much of a change. But since I went away, I\u2019ve met people from different states, cultures, and traditions. I think in the long run that experience will help me stay open-minded to different things, and to never shut anything down without trying it first. You never know what opportunities can come from little things.<\/p>\n
\nNE: They\u2019ve supported me so much, it\u2019s ridiculous. They helped me with financial aid. They make sure I\u2019m ok mentally and physically. They\u2019ve helped me with summer internships, planning my schedules, getting my textbooks. There\u2019s a lot that comes from the DREAM family that I deeply appreciate. I have an older brother at college, but he\u2019s not here, so I\u2019m basically doing this myself because my parents didn\u2019t have the chance to go to college. So having multiple people to have my back through this process and these four years is amazing. Even if I get lost, I know I have people who have my back and can pull me back in.<\/p>\n
\nNE: First, don\u2019t be afraid to take the risk, take the opportunity, because opportunities only come once in a lifetime. Make sure you understand the opportunity and make sure if you really want it or not. Second, don\u2019t be afraid to ask for help, even if you really don\u2019t want to, because help will always be there from DREAM. Third, take care of yourself. Make sure you\u2019re mentally and physically ok, because if you\u2019re not, nothing else matters. College comes with a lot of independence and a lot of challenges, so make sure you\u2019re ready for that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"