Sixteen and a College Student: Life Lessons Learned Outside of the Classroom - Paperback

by Gabriela M. C (Author)

Being accepted to one of the most prestigious universities on the West Coast was Gabriela's dream since she was a little girl. 16 and A College Student is the narrative of her experience as a first-generation college student. Suddenly becoming an adult in a matter of months presented many challenges for her and no book she read in high school prepared her for any of them. In this memoir, Gabriela takes you on a ride to see what being a college student can be like; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Being away from her family, visits to the emergency room, unplanned pregnancies and a whole lot more 16 and A College Student is about overcoming incredible obstacles while learning to be an adult in a different world, and the true magic that can happen when you refuse to give up on your dreams.

Author Biography

Gabriela Mejia Cervantes is the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, born on March 3, 1993, in Hollywood, California, and raised in Baldwin Park, California. Gabriela began mentoring teens and young adults when she was fifteen years old as she was the first person to complete the "fast-track graduation program" at her local high school. Gabriela graduated from the University of California Los Angeles in 2012 with a bachelor of arts in sociology at the young age of nineteen and received her master in social work from the University of Southern California in 2016. Gabriela is now a mother of two, wife, and entrepreneur who dedicates herself to mentoring youth in underrepresented communities pursuing higher education by sharing her story and encouraging others to share their own.