The Power of Determination

Growing up in an urban Bronx neighborhood in New York City within a multi-ethnic household enriched with Latin culture and Irish traditions, my parents always reinforced the idea of determination. Although I often doubted how far my abilities would take me, I quickly learned to never set a limit to my success.

Senior year of high school was a turning point in my life—I almost joined the military because of my fear of getting rejected from college and my apprehension about taking standardized exams. Instead of continuing my education, I was on a path to finding a suitable job, including the military. However, my friends and mentor convinced me to apply to a few State Universities of New York (SUNY) colleges. Much to my surprise, I was accepted to Buffalo State College, which is the largest college in the SUNY system. So, I decided to enroll and embark on a new set of challenges and opportunities. Even though I did not know what to expect, this decision made a significant impact on my future because it shaped the course of my professional career.

After participating in a number of activities during my first two years at Buffalo State and working at the college to support myself, I was introduced to the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, which is where my journey to appreciate academia began.This program opened my eyes to advanced research and higher education. I conducted a full-scale research project looking at Latinos attitudes towards law enforcement.

My Next Step: Boxing After I graduated from Buffalo State College in 2005 at the age of 21, I wanted to get involved in a sport to lose weight and be healthy. I also wanted to box in memory of my dad who passed away in 2000, while I was in high school—I wanted to reconnect with him somehow. He used to box in Puerto Rico and taught my brother and me the sport. I started to look into a number of gyms like Bally’s but the boxing classes were aerobic and not actual boxing. I wanted a REAL boxing gym. I contacted a number of gyms after searching the Internet but none of them seemed affordable or interesting until I came upon Bronxchester Boxing Club on Castle Hill in the Bronx. Although some boxers at the gym were nice they really didn’t think much of me because I was a girl. Girls come and go so often it was hard to get to know them. I made it appoint to stay for the love of the sport, to connect with these boxers, be healthy and most importantly remember my dad. From the beginning of my career in boxing, I was the first to arrive at the gym and last to leave, just like the professional boxers. It’s an addicting sport. After about a year of training, my coach asked if I wanted to spar (practice fighting). But since there were no girls I would have to spar with the guys.

Since then, I continue to train and spar with the guys in my gym since most of the girls back up or cancel. Recently, I began to spar with a girl ranked #1 in boxing who has been helping me gain experience in the ring. I was training for the golden gloves 2008 and my first official fight was scheduled for February 28th, 2008, but due to a new job working as a research assistant on a project in Long Island it didn’t happen. It was a very difficult decision to have to withdraw from the gloves, but it was a great professional decision. I was afraid to tell my gym because we have all been working so hard. But, when I told my coaches and trainers they were proud of my decision. They only want what is best for me which shows how much they care.

Heading to…
Although I did not know much about graduate school during my undergraduate years, I decided to venture off and apply to a doctoral program. In the back of my mind I knew I was reaching beyond my own limits, but with the assistance of the McNair director, college faculty, family and friends, I was sure that I was making the right decision.

I am currently in a doctoral program, a third-year doctoral student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, teaching and working on a number of research projects focusing on different aspects of the criminal justice system. Boxing helps to keep me balanced. Sometimes I feel like I am disconnected from my community since I spend endless hours at school, but going to the boxing club, the boxing fights and hanging out with my boxing friends keeps me grounded and reminds me of my culture and where I came from. Boxing allows me to keep my sanity

The focus of my dissertation is on juveniles in the inner city, specifically gang members who have been through the criminal justice system. I look forward to working for an alternative to incarceration program and then returning to a campus setting so I can share my knowledge and experiences with future students as an educator.

As I sit and look back on my accomplishments, I am amazed because I have exceeded far beyond my own expectations. I went from having no confidence in my ability to succeed in school to becoming a first generation college graduate pursing a doctoral degree. Not only did I succeed academically, but also reconnected with my Puerto Rican roots. I have discovered that the power of determination is endless!

By Crystal C. Rodriguez