Tania Arroyo is a Criminal Justice major and is graduating this upcoming Spring. She has recently found a passion for working with juveniles. Tania has a daughter named Eva. She enjoys talking to other moms and empowering them. She even mentioned, “I have a lot of mom friends that are going through the same situations as mine and I’ve mentored them through, just because you have a kid doesn’t mean you’re done.”
Her Campus Cal Lutheran: Can you tell me a little bit about you transferring here and how you felt your first year went?
Tania Arroyo: Transferring here was a last minute decision, I was originally going to go to UCSB. A guest speaker from CLU came and talked about the small class sizes and the community environment. I figured that because of Eva it would be best for me and I would be able to build a relationship with professors. I really liked the idea of a small community. Then I got into SSS and that’s been the cherry on top to the whole transition. It made my first year here do-able so it wasn’t hard. SOAR 2016, the summer program provided by SSS, was legit. That’s kind of where it laid the ground, and the positive experience I’ve had at CLU.
HCCLU: How did you decide on your major?
TA: Taking that leap of faith. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something with criminal justice, but I never really pursued it because law enforcement is looked down upon for women, especially moms. Having Professor Estrella and the encouragement from the people here pushed me to take the leap of faith.
HCCLU: How does it feel knowing that you’ll be graduating this year?
TA: Scary. Really scary because of the expectations that people have: after you graduate they ask, “What are you going to do with your life?” And it is even more pressure with having my daughter, Eva, people are expecting me to start my life now with my degree and daughter. I have mixed emotions.
HCCLU: What advice would you give to moms who are in school or want to start school but feel that they can’t?
TA: You can do it. You can’t beat yourself down. It’s hard to distinguish yourself from being a student and a mom. You can’t hold your expectations so high; you have to be able to adapt. You can’t be scared or intimidated to reach out for help because the help is there. If you really want it, you can do it. You have to start somewhere. Si se puede! It has taken me six years to graduate but knowing that I’m graduating is awesome.
HCCLU: What’s your inspiration?
TA: My daughter, Eva. She is my world, she’s the reason why I want to be better, to be the best person I can be. Even though sometimes she’s the reason why I’m stressing out, she’s my inspiration at the end of the day, for me to be a role model to her so she could see that you can do anything you put your mind to.
HCCLU: Tell me a little bit about your daughter.
TA: She’s full of sass. She’s sassy but has a really big heart. She’s bilingual and it’s really awesome that she’s learning about both cultures. She’s learning to find herself in both cultures, as American and Hispanic, especially since in our home it’s so important that we talk about both. She’s really shy but once you get to know her, she’s a little firecracker.
HCCLU: Favorite thing about CLU?
TA: Student Support Services because being a commuter is difficult, but they help you find your sense of belonging in the school. Being a commuter, you aren’t here to be able to go study with people, you have to go back home and go to work. SSS is family, my home away from home.
HCCLU: What song describes your life?
TA: “Broken Wing” by Martina McBride because the song pretty much is describing a woman in a situation where the situation breaks her, “and with a broken wing she carries her dream, man you ought to see her fly.” It describes my life; I just keep going.