“Living every day in the body of a male is devastating to me, I would rather go to sleep and never wake up in the morning than live another day looking like a male.”
That’s how 20-year-old trans woman Mercury Castle, an aerospace engineering student, said she feels every day.
Castle said she is proud to be part of the transgender community, but has not identified with her biological gender since age 9.
“When most boys were playing soccer, football, or other sports at school, I would spend time with girls learning about how they put on their makeup, gossip, or how they dressed because I wanted to be just like them,” Castle said.
Castle said she struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. She is currently in the process of trying to transition from male to female, but has not made much progress. Her family does not support her and ignores the situation.
“This halt in my transition process due to a lack of finances has caused me to want to cut off my own skin, mostly because I feel as if I am going to be stuck in the body of a male for a lot longer than I need to be,” Castle said.
Dani Cullen, 20, a business major and close friend of Mercury, said his friend is a good person.
“She’s one of the best people I know ,” Cullen said. “Mercury is also stronger than she thinks she is.”
Castle said she counts on the support of her friends like Aimee Karr, a 21-year-old histotechnology major.
“It’s a heavy burden for her to be openly transgendered,” Karr said. “But she doesn’t let that affect her relationships with friends or work; she can put aside [her] frustrations and help her friends with the most minuscule, unimportant things.”
Still, every day is a challenge in survival.
“Waking up and realizing that I am still alive and a biological male is a nightmare for me that never ends. Every day that I am still alive and look like like a male is another day that I consider suicide an option for me,” Castle said.
Fueled by a passion for learning, 22-year-old linguistics major Guadalupe De La Cruz has overcome the obstacles of living in a foreign country through education. De La Cruz arrived from Mexico at the age of 15.
“I missed Mexico a lot; the cultures were very different, but most of all I missed my dad,” said De La Cruz
De La Cruz was able to finish high school not only on time, but in the top 10 in class. In sophomore year, she finished in the top of her class without knowing English.
“For a while I thought English was the only language spoken here. It wasn’t until I was part of ELD classes did I how multicultural the country really was,” De La Cruz said.
While in high school, De La Cruz did not have the things that most students have, such as a computer.
“In order to do homework, three essential things were part of my daily routine: an English dictionary, a thesaurus and a translator,” said De La Cruz.
Her hard work paid off and she was awarded the President’s Award for Outstanding Academic Performance, and in 2011, the “Student of Distinction in Service Achievement” award.
“I had to spend hours of my time doing homework,” said De La Cruz.
De La Cruz also had to work various jobs to help her family financially.
“I started working part-time when I was 16 to help my mom pay the bills because I was her only support at that time,” said De La Cruz.
After graduating high school, things became more difficult.
“At one point I had three jobs at the same time,” said De La Cruz.
De La Cruz credits her success to the unconditional support from her professors. This has inspired her to become a teacher.
“That would be a way of giving back something from me that I was given from my teachers when I most needed it,” said De La Cruz.
Rosa Preciado, professor of psychology and education and professor, is one of those professors.
“Lupita has impacted me by serving as a reminder of how wonderful it is to work with students who want to make a difference in the lives of others,” said Preciado.
De La Cruz continues to focus on her future without allowing obstacles to slow her down.
“You have to believe in yourself, If you don’t try to do what you love you’ll never know what you can accomplish,” she said.
Seleny Rodriguez fights for the rights of the undocumented and hopes to end the taboo that surrounds them.
Born in Mexicali, Mexico, the 19-year-old sociology major immigrated to the United States when she was 3.
“I had a good life because my dad always worked very hard to provide us the essential things in order to survive,”
said Rodriguez.
College life was difficult at first for Rodriguez.
“At first it was difficult because I couldn’t find a job, so my parents had to pay out of pocket. Later, luckily I was able to get scholarships for being involved,” said Rodriguez.
Now in her second year at Mt. SAC, Rodriguez is actively involved in the I.D.E.A.S Club which is designed to support undocumented students.
Rodriguez along with club members present information to high school students and parents about higher education, letting them know that even if they are undocumented they can still pursue their dreams. Rodriguez said that most undocumented students get discouraged when reality sinks in and they are unable to even get a driver’s license.
“We want to inform undocumented students in high school as much as they can so they can be knowledgeable of the academic resources or academic mentoring that are out there for them to continue to pursue a higher education,” said Rodriguez.
For Rodriguez, giving back to the community is crucial.
“It is important to go back to my community, my high school and inform them and guide them through the process of school,” Rodriguez said.
“There is no ‘right’ way with a broken immigration system and is not a direct pathway to citizenship,” said Rodriguez.
Imelda Plascencia, Mt. SAC alumni, UCLA graduate and founder of the I.D.E.A.S Club, is impressed with Rodriguez.
“She has become an exceptional organizer for our immigrant communities. Not only is she passionate about creating change, but she humbly takes on this task with a kind heart and a loving spirit,” said Plascencia..
Rodriguez does not plan on stopping her activism. In the future she plans to open a non-profit organization to help students who have been pushed out of the educational system due to factors such as not being able to pay or being undocumented.
“I understand how difficult it is to not be able to pay for school or help your family out, I know financial problems can be very stressful; this place will help students avoid all that,” said Rodriguez.
A family vacation to Acapulco became an unpleasant memory that changed the life of Melissa Silva, a 21-year-old Mt. SAC student.
Silva was only 14 months old when she was hit by a strange virus while returning from Acapulco. Her little body became paralyzed with each day.
“Within the week that we came back, I started to paralyze each day, until the last day of the week I was a complete rock,” Silva said.
Silva said her parents took her many doctors who could not diagnose her. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a disorder that involves the brain and the nervous system. Silva was given various therapies, with no success. Today, she is confined to a wheelchair. It is hard for her to walk or to stand up for long periods of time but that doesn’t stop her from achieving her dreams. English professor Michelle Dougherty said Silva is an inspiration.
“Melissa is an inspiration to all students, not just those with a disability. She never lets her disability stop her from pursuing her dreams, and she has the dedication to do anything she sets her mind to,” Dougherty said.
Fellow student, Megan Duran, a 24-year-old corrections/sociology major, agreed.
“Melissa is outgoing, funny, smart, beautiful and just an all around doll. She’s fun to be around, she is full of life and more, and she is so very headstrong,” Duran said.
But not everyone is supportive. Silva said she has suffered discrimination.
“I have been discriminated by professors because of my hand on the right side, I can’t move it that much,” Silva said. “Two professors of last semester told me that I should drop their class.”
She talked to Disabled Student Programs and Services and was told to file a complaint, but Silva decided to drop both classes.
“I dropped and got other professors that really appreciated me in their class,” Silva said.
Silva has one dream she wishes to accomplish and said she will achieve it some day.
“My dream is to one day get up and dance and become a professional choreographer dancer.”
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