The story of Janete Perez in Eddie Jimenez's column today makes me want to kiss that child on both cheeks. A graduate of McLane High School, she is getting ready to graduate from the Ivy League's Brown University. She already has a job lined up as a program manager for Microsoft. Good for her. But what really impresses me was her determination, despite discouragement from her family. They wanted her to stay closer to home, like many Valley parents. She was inspired, however, not to settle for "good enough" as Mas Masumoto would say, but to shoot for the stars by a school counselor, Diana Rodriquez, who is now at Sunnyside High. Bless you, Diana.
Now, of course, Janete's parents are her biggest cheerleaders. They should be very proud of their daughter. Our niece is having the opposite problem. She's been accepted to several of the nation's best medical schools, but she's getting pressure from her fiance to go to a state school so she can be near him. The family, of course, has a united voice: "Are you crazy? Take Georgetown!" Her heart is pulling one way, her head another. She's a brilliant young woman. I'm sure she'll do well no matter what the choice. But it's not easy.
We host an exchange student from Norway, Merete, and we talk a lot about "people pleasing," the huge price people pay for it and the importance of not getting tricked into it. How wonderful that Janete found the strength to take a risk -- to stand up for her dream. I wish her every happiness in her new career.
I really enjoyed this blog. I always thought that my job as a parent was for my son to want to fly the nest. The desire for independence should be a goal, it seems. We ought to be encouraging others to pursue their dreams, rather than to hold them back.