As I end my chapter at Kutztown University and prepare for graduate school at West Chester University, I can’t help but reflect on how far I’ve come and how much I’ve grown.
The person in this photo is a completely different person than the kid that walked the halls of both Reading Senior High School and the Reading Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center. The kid that walked the halls was more of a timid kid, a bit quiet, and held back more than he should have for fear of being “different”. He hadn’t come to the part of his own journey of fully accepting himself for who he was. He thought that being different would be the end of the world, but he soon learned being different in itself is both powerful and beautiful.
RMCTC had a huge role in that growth. During my time there, I was in the Early Childhood Education program under the instruction of Mrs. Heather Yobb. She helped me find a passion in wanting to work with and help people. Through her, my program, and my roles in our FCCLA chapter, I learned the importance of teamwork, leadership, and advocacy. I fit in there and began to blossom. In fact, I didn’t even know I was a minority until I went to college.
Oprah Winfrey once said, “The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.” I’m not working with little humans in a classroom setting, but I have RMCTC to thank for the impact I’ve been able to have on the students that I have served at Kutztown and those I hope to serve at other colleges. RMCTC will forever hold a spot in my mind, body, and soul
Roy Gonzalez
Early Childhood Education
