Bertha Barraza’s new book, The Sense of Belonging, as stated on its cover, is “An Ethnographic Autobiography of Marginalization.” In other words, it is the story of her life about being an immigrant from Mexico to the United States. He came to this country as a teenager with his family. She knew little at the time, other than that she had to work hard for a living, and worked hard at various minimum wage jobs until one day she had an awakening. She hadn’t finished high school and no one was going to promote her without a high school diploma.

Bertha now knew what she had to do, but a high school diploma was not what she wanted. He decided to quit his job and go to East Los Angeles College and fill out an application. He had no idea what was really in store for him. He just knew that getting a college education was the first step to improving his life.

I won’t go into all the details of Bertha’s journey because she describes them all in the book. However, the important thing is that this book is not just his biography. It’s a look at the processes Bertha went through to get an education and serves as a guide for today’s students who want to do the same. Bertha details everything a student would need to know to pass college, especially Latino students like her. It talks about everything from using an agenda to how to apply for grants and scholarships.

Bertha also knows that it is almost impossible to succeed on your own. She knows how difficult her journey was, which is why she has written this book, to encourage future generations who may be in the same position as her to have a better life. It also encourages students to find role models and mentors who can help them. It has a chapter on the power of networks. She also has a chapter on the Puente program she joined, an organization for Latino students, which allowed her to meet and excel with fellow students like her. The curriculum for this program also led her to discover Chicano literature, in which she found stories of people she could relate to who encouraged her to be successful and to make the world a better place for herself and other struggling students.

A Sense of Belonging is appropriately titled because it also explores how we can find our place in this world. It teaches us to pursue our destiny and not give up until we have achieved our dreams. During the course of her journey, Bertha went from working at a fast food restaurant without even a high school diploma and barely speaking English to graduating from college, landing a job at a community college, and even earning a Ph.D. Today, Bertha is the embodiment of the American Dream and living proof that anyone can be successful if they put their mind to it and work hard.

Beyond all the wonderful advice in this book on the skills you’ll need in college, how to manage your time, how to take advantage of the various resources universities offer, and a general guide to college education, there is essentially a deep sense that inner strength will move you forward. Bertha is the epitome of courage in the face of adversity. And despite all her hard work, she remains humbled and grateful for the success she has achieved because she knows none of it would have been possible if others hadn’t given her a helping hand.

That gratitude is shown today in her role as a teacher and advisor to students at a California community college, where she helps them navigate work-school-life balance so they too can be successful. Beyond that, Bertha also loves to travel and experience new cultures. And he has traveled everywhere, from Moscow to Barcelona, ​​Dubai and Zimbabwe. His travels have taught him that, at the most basic levels, we are all human and we all want the same things. She embraces rich and deep cultural experiences and brings them back to share with her students so that they too can become citizens of the world. He also reaches out a helping hand to those in need around the world. In Zimbabwe, he traveled with a missionary group that adopted a school. In Nigeria, he attended a school grand opening and donated books to students.

Bertha Barraza is one of our forgotten heroes. It wouldn’t be going too far to call her the Latina Oprah Winfrey for the good she has done and for the message of hope and success she has conveyed to countless students. The Sense of Belonging is the perfect book to give to any student struggling in high school or college or simply needing a boost in self-esteem. I especially encourage you to give it as a high school graduation gift.