If Eddie Carranco could go global, anyone could dare to do anything. He stopped being a Latino from the Eastside or the Westside of Santa Barbara; he became somebody who went to the post office and got a passport. He says he never felt more American. Perceptions of possibility shifted in the neighborhood.
People knew he was in Running Start, a program at Santa Barbara City College where recent high school graduates get incentives to try college when they have no intention of continuing their studies. But study abroad? His friends helped him shop for an airplane ticket online — a first. He bought a duffel bag, threw in a few pairs of jeans and a couple of T-shirts, stuffed his life savings into his wallet and made it to Spain on scholarship for summer study. He had no credit card. Never had to take care of himself alone in a foreign country. Suddenly he was learning to convert currency. Using the metro. Visiting ancient cities. Only five weeks overseas, but a game-changer. A chance to see himself as someone who can, who should, and who will.
Sitting on his familiar couch at home again, the new semester in swing, he worries Spain will be a fleeting glimpse into life’s treasure chest, banging shut. But he knows he’s changed; there’s new confidence and growth. He’s asking more questions in class, interacting with more people, trying to help others. Not the same kid who graduated high school with prospects of minimum wage. Eddie went to college, to Europe, and the kid who’d never been anywhere didn’t come back. A young man with goals took his place.