Roxana Secas, Class of 2012

Hey guys!

My name is Roxanna Secas, and I was part of the awesomeness that was the class of 2012 (best class to graduate HGHS, btw)! I am currently an English major on the creative writing track at the University of Central Florida. After I graduate, I hope to become a book publisher. And, hopefully, get some of my own work published too.

Like most people in my class, I started off my journey in college through Miami-Dade College. I took the opportunity that Miami Dade was offering: to pay my entire tuition for my first two years of college. Along with the scholarships I received from working hard in high school, I was also able to get money back from financial aid, which served as a resource for books and other college expenses. After a year at Miami Dade College, I realized that by taking all the dual enrollment classes that I had taken in high school along with the summer classes I had taken at Miami Dade, I only had one semester left before I could transfer to my dream school: UCF. So, the gears in my head started turning and, with the help of my wonderful parents, I decided to move out to Orlando, transfer to Valencia, finish my AA there, and transfer to UCF.

The real fun began when I first moved and I had to get a job to help pay for my rent. Although mommy and daddy were helping me out, there were just some things they couldn’t do. So, there I was, living alone for the first time ever, balancing my last 6 classes for my AA, and dealing with my first job. I barely had time to catch my breath! However, my hard work paid off, because in the spring of 2014, I started my first semester at my dream school, which is the biggest success I’ve had. I’ve started writing more and more stories, which I hope I can come back soon and tell you all that they’ve been published! I work for a before and after care program in an elementary school, watching kindergarten children, as well as babysitting on the weekends.

Now, I’m going on to my third year in college, while being one of the first students in my class to have her AA in the fall of 2013 instead of at the end of the spring of 2014, and about to get promoted at work (fingers crossed)!

I’m sure most of you have heard it before, but living on your own really does give you a different perspective on life. I’ve come to realize all the things I can do, (like cooking, I can probably make pasta a hundred different ways!) as long as I work hard and believe in myself. That’s the biggest thing I probably won’t be able to stress enough: BELIEVE IN YOURSELVES. No matter what anyone will tell you, no matter the people who doubt your abilities, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You can do it. Change is hard; I know it is. I used to sit in that very desk you’re sitting, thinking to myself, “I don’t want to go to college, it’s not like high school, it’s going to be weird and hard and I’m not going to be good at it,” but you can do it! Life is about changes, and everything changes. DO NOT FEAR CHANGE. Change is good. Life is good! Enjoy yourselves. Be happy. Work hard. The best things in life aren’t handed to you on a silver platter; you’ve got to work hard to buy the silver platter.

The next thing to tackle on starting in the fall is my savings account for future travels, as well as joining a couple of clubs at UCF; all while still juggling my 4 classes, working at my job, AND babysitting on the weekends. As the great Augustus Waters would say, “I’m on a rollercoaster that only goes up, my friend!”

If you need/want any more advice on moving and tips about college and such, don’t be afraid to message me!

Good luck!

Roxanna Secas