Odalis P. Hidalgo, an assistant professor in the Modern Languages Department, is a member of United University Professions–SUNY Cortland Chapter

I was never surrounded by books, although I still remember the day I found, in my hands, Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. I fell in love with the story. However; that was just one occasion. Most of my days I spent my time watching Latin-American soap operas, “telenovelas.”

To make matters worse, I never applied myself in school. My grades were less than acceptable, to the point that when I graduated from high school, one of my teachers told my father that he needed to put me in trade school where maybe, and only maybe, I might learn some arts and crafts. The only hope my parents had for me was to find a good man, get married and have children. They had to be realistic; I needed someone to provide and take care of me.

All those low expectations created in me the thought that I was neither smart nor capable of obtaining a higher education degree. The years passed and as a young adult, I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do besides find a good husband.

When I moved to the United States, I went to a community college to learn English. There, I found myself among people who thought I was capable of getting an education … that I was able to learn, and I wasn’t lazy or unintelligent. Later in college, a professor wrote a note on my essay: “One day I will read your books.”

That was the tipping point, the moment that changed my life. That was the moment that I started believing in myself and, most importantly, believing in the power of education and teaching.

Sometimes, they just need someone to see their potential — the same way that my professors saw mine. Someone that sees the beautiful butterfly inside the caterpillar.