Carmen Gloria Perez always dreamed about traveling the world. Then, when she was just 10 years old, her parents split up, and her mother took her from New York to Puerto Rico in hopes of starting fresh. Life was difficult, and her family had to rely on government assistance to get by. “When I was that young, I remember thinking I didn’t want to live my life that way forever. I wanted more,” said Perez.
But she didn’t know how to get there. Nobody in her family had gone to college or even traveled outside of the United States. Perez wanted to be the first to change that. She daydreamed endlessly about a better life. Her mind was filled with visions of going to college, landing a good job, and flying across different continents.
