On July 25, 2025, my mom, Esther Canela, graduated from the University of Salamanca with her second master’s degree at 57 years old.
I’m so proud of her, and I want to take a moment to honor her incredible journey.
My mom’s story continues to inspire me every single day, not only because of what she’s achieved but because of the strength, sacrifice, and belief it took to get there.
In 1992, she moved to Brooklyn, NY from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, barely knowing a word of English.
I was born the same year she arrived in the States, and I still remember the two of us sitting at the kitchen table doing homework together while I was in elementary school, learning English side by side.
For years, my mom was a stay-at-home mom raising four kids while my dad worked hard to provide for us.
Even then, her passion for learning never faded.
She was always watching educational videos, reading books, and taking us to the library to plant seeds of curiosity and fuel our love for learning.
She had left everything behind in the Dominican Republic to start a new life in the U.S.
Once we were older, she felt it was time to pick up where she left off.
Back in Santo Domingo, she had taken college courses just shy of earning an associate’s degree.
While most of those credits didn’t transfer to a U.S. university, a few did.
So she started over.
She took CLEP exams to earn college credit while enrolled, and eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management the same year I graduated high school in 2011.
She became a Spanish teacher in New Jersey, and in 2019, she earned her first Master’s degree in Urban Education with a specialization in World Language at New Jersey City University (NJCU) the same year that Bailey (her youngest son), graduated high school and her daughter, Joyce, graduated college.
But she wasn’t done.
She decided to pursue her second Master’s degree in Spanish, this time from one of the oldest universities in the world.
And in many ways, it felt like a full-circle moment.
After earning both her bachelor’s and first master’s degrees in a language she had to learn from scratch when she arrived in the U.S., she was now earning a second master’s in Spanish, her native language.
It felt like a return to where it all began, but this time with decades of experience, sacrifice, and perseverance behind her.
While teaching her students at Passaic High School in New Jersey during the day, my mom spent her nights and weekends completing homework assignments and writing her master’s thesis.
Watching her juggle work, studies, and family with such strength and focus reminded us all of what perseverance truly looks like.
She completed most of her coursework remotely and then spent the final three weeks of her program dorming at the University of Salamanca in Spain.
That alone was surreal for her.
After raising four kids and watching all of us go through college, she never imagined she would be the one studying abroad.
It moved me deeply to watch her walk across that stage in Spain, especially knowing how many years she held onto her dreams while putting everyone else first.
As a first-generation Dominican American, having my mom to look up to gave me the grit and determination to keep going.
She is my greatest inspiration.
I attribute my mindset, ambition, and success to both her and my dad. If she could do all that, I have no excuse but to push myself to become the best version of who I’m meant to be.
When you grow up seeing that kind of resilience up close, you start to believe that anything is possible… even for you.
That belief gave me the courage to pursue cybersecurity, to persevere through hard moments, and trust that I belonged in rooms where I had never seen anyone like me.
It’s because of her example that I found the strength to build a path that led to Google:
All of the qualities that led me here were rooted in what I learned watching my mom overcome every obstacle to pursue her goals.
My friend Jeffrey Ritter commented the following:
“…There is no heavier burden than a great potential. But to carry that burden and achieve for each of us our greatest potential takes work, and a passion to keep learning…”
I appreciate Jeffrey’s words, because they resonate with me so deeply.
While I carry this truth in my own life, I know it was my mom who first lit that fire within me.
Because of her, I remind myself:
Life is hard.
But we can do hard things.
They say you have to see it to be it.
Mom, you lit the way for all of us to realize our fullest potential.
Anything is possible!!
Felicidades, Mami. Te amo muchísimo!!
In 2025, Esther Canela earned her second Master’s degree in Spanish Language and Culture at the University of Salamanca.
The Canela family celebrating Esther’s graduation at the University of Salamanca in Spain.
In 2019, Esther Canela earned her first Master’s degree in Urban Education at New Jersey City University (NJCU), with a specialization in World Languages.
If you’ve made it this far, maybe you needed a reminder too:
Whatever you're holding off on . .
Whatever you’ve been afraid to start . .
Pick it back up, and keep going!
It’s never too late 🙏🏼
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I’m grateful we’re on this journey together!
#InThisTogether
-John Canela
