Classmate Profile

Life’s winding roads can lead you to many dark places, but if you’ve got a heart filled with determination like Marilou Gonzalez-Yanez, one can make the seemingly impossible become reality. The timid girl from Los Angeles perhaps hasn’t been dealt the best hand, but that hasn’t stopped her from achieving her goals with such grace and determination.

Marilou Gonzalez-Yanez is the first in her family to attend a 4-year University, however, she would be the first to tell you that much of her success can be attributed to her mother, who worked two jobs and attended community college to provide her children with the road map to a successful and happy life. “She is a very strong woman who did nothing but support me in every aspect. Her determination to succeed in order for my sister and I to go to great private schools only made me motivated to do well.”

On top of all the struggles that Mrs. Gonzalez’s mother - who divorced her father when she was only two and a half - endured while raising two children alone, Mrs. Gonzalez also had many of her own obstacles to overcome. “My parents decided to teach me Spanish at home, so I didn’t start learning English until I was six and a half years old. I definitely struggled in that aspect.” That was, unfortunately, not the only thing that Mrs. Gonzalez was forced to deal with. “I am also dyslexic, so I felt as if it added pressure to the fact that I was a minority with a learning disability who was trying to succeed in America.”

Now attending Roger Williams University with a major in Communications and a double minor in English and Theatre, Mrs. Gonzalez seems to be right where she wants. However, that was not always the case. “I was originally coming to Roger Williams to major in Marine Biology, which was why I originally applied to the school, but after getting in with a really good scholarship I decided to change my major completely.” But as you might expect from Mrs. Gonzalez, she is not complacent with just improving her academic ability. “I’m also on the Roger Williams Women’s Volleyball Team. Sometimes it’s tough to manage school and sports, but I’ve been doing pretty well with it and I really like my teammates.”

As if the pressure of the present wasn’t putting enough weight on her shoulders already, Mrs. Gonzalez is already thinking about her future. “It is my second year here at Roger Williams and I’ve enjoyed every moment thus far. I still have the motivation to do well for my family as well as myself so that one day when I have children I can teach them the values and determination as my mother taught me.”