Guest Blogger Pérsida Himmele

I remember a conversation that I had with my dad. It was short, mostly one-sided, and incredibly memorable. With a thick Spanish accent, and a somewhat intimidating look, my dad asked, "Pérsida, to what college you go?"

Even though he had only graduated from eighth grade, he had figured something out: You don't get very far in life without a college education.

Because of that, he asked the same question to all seven of his children. Though we lived in the poorest neighborhood, surrounded by rampant drug use, teen pregnancy, and violence, we all followed through on his expectations for us. Our highest earned degrees consist of two PhDs, two master's degrees, one theology degree, one bachelor's degree, and one high school diploma (earned by my sister, who has special needs). Our success was no accident.

Click here to continue reading.