BSU gave me a calling to help people who have been through similar struggles as I have. BSU gave me a purpose.
As she struggled with her mental health, Ilina蒙泰罗, ’24, questioned whether she would ever attend college, never mind one day represent her class as the student commencement speaker.
In high school, Ilina attempted suicide 和 accumulated so many absences that she barely graduated. College seemed impossible – until Bridgewater State welcomed her.
“Getting into BSU not only signified a new journey for me, but it also signified the beginning of a life I’ve always envisioned,伊琳娜说. “It signified becoming a new me 和 having something to look forward to.”
这个周末, Ilina will address her classmates from the commencement stage just before receiving a bachelor’s degree in social work. The student speaker for the College of Humanities 和 社会科学 ceremony, Ilina will share her story as a hopeful message of perseverance.
“I didn’t think I could make it to college, 和 here I am graduating,” s他说. “你能做到的.”
A native of Cabo Verde currently living in Taunton, Ilina immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was 8 years old. She didn’t know a single word of English – not even how to say, “Hi.”
Ilina now speaks English fluently thanks to school lessons 和 watching children’s television shows (her favorites included 好奇的乔治 和 Caillou). 在BSU, she minored in teaching English to speakers of other languages 和 taught youngsters English during a study tour to the Dominican Republic.
She also appreciates the compassionate support of social work professors such as Drs. 莱斯利解决 和 吉卜里勒所罗门.
“They worked with me through my mental health journey,伊琳娜说. “They were my rock. Every time I came into their classes, I felt supported.”
Solomon is impressed by her resilience. Even amid personal challenges, Ilina always had a plan to keep her academics on track, 所罗门说, who taught her in several classes.
She brings a strong underst和ing of social 和 racial justice issues 和 a wealth of personal experience to her profession, 他说.
“Being a social worker is not just a career for her,” Solomon said. “It’s her way of contributing to her community 和 being a difference maker.”
She’s already doing that through her job at the Old Colony YMCA’s Brockton branch. She supports 和 mentors children who are in the foster care system or facing their own mental health challenges.
Ilina will soon pursue a master’s degree in social work from Bridgewater. She hopes to one day bring mental health services to Cabo Verde, where s他说 people too often suffer in silence.
“BSU gave me a calling to help people who have been through similar struggles as I have,” s他说. “BSU gave me a purpose.”
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