by Vila Phetsilasack, Merritt College Class of 2025 Graduate
This is a story of resilience, a refusal to let someone else’s prophecy become my reality.
I came to the U.S. at 13 years old, stepping into a life that was supposed to offer opportunity. But early on, someone said, "Raising someone else’s child is a bad idea." That wasn’t just a comment, it became a curse they tried to fulfill. Every barrier thrown at me felt like it was placed there to prove them right.
No matter how hard I tried, it felt like I was set up to fail. Learned helplessness lived in me like a second skin. I was constantly searching for a place to call home. Sometimes, I’d pretend to visit a friend just so I’d have somewhere to sleep. Other nights, I slept in my car. When it got towed for expired registration, I quietly started sleeping at my workplace; first one in, last one out, because I never left. I showered at 24 Hour Fitness. I carried shame in silence. No one knew the science I was trying to hold together, like numbers and digits that didn’t quite add up.
Until you’ve had to drive through parks and empty streets just to find a quiet place to sleep, you’ll never understand what it means to really appreciate a home.
But I refused to let that prophecy win.
Merritt College gave me more than an education, it gave me a mirror to see my worth, my strength, and my future. I’m graduating with an Associate's Degree in Health Science, on the Honor Roll. I’ve applied to Stanford University not just because I’m qualified, but because I carry a perspective the world needs.
No matter the outcome, the future has never looked brighter.
If you’re struggling right now, I need you to hear this: you’re not broken. The world might want you to believe you are, but you’re not. Set your plan in motion. Find people who believe in you as much as you believe in yourself.
Over these two years at Merritt, I’ve seen what happens when curiosity meets knowledge. When you learn the language of power, systems, and law, you become unstoppable. Once you see, you can’t unsee. Once you know, you can't unknow.
So don’t give up. Not now. Not ever.
Vila;