{"667682":{"#nid":"667682","#data":{"type":"news","title":" One Graduate Student\u2019s Inspiring Journey from Venezuela to Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u201cI had prepared my whole life to seize opportunities, but there were none to be found.\u201d\u003C\/em\u003E Growing up in Venezuela, Kenia Way had to make a change if she wanted to have a chance at a better future. Seven years ago, she made the difficult decision to leave her home country and move to the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAfter leaving my country, I was determined to find a new career path that could provide me with skills that could be applied in endless industries,\u201d said Way. \u201cData was the obvious choice.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWay\u2019s journey from Venezuela to Georgia Tech graduate was a rocky one. She persisted through the ups and downs, and in Spring 2023, Way earned her master\u2019s degree in analytics from Georgia Tech. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003EGrowing up in Venezuela\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWay grew up in a stunning coastal area of Venezuela, surrounded by beautiful beaches and friendly people.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was almost like something out of a Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez novel, one of those places where time seems to stand still and the spirit of the town remains unchanged,\u201d said Way. \u201cWe grew up on organic food\u2013coconut, plantain, mango, and lots of fish.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGood education was hard to come by, but Way was fortunate to have a mother who went above and beyond to give Way every opportunity she could.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy the time Way was 17, she was ready to leave town and pursue an engineering degree at the top university in the country.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003EChallenges in Pursuing Education and Career in Venezuela\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe year Way was accepted into college to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering, the former president, Hugo Chavez, fired thousands of employees from the state oil company on national television after a series of strikes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis represented almost 50% of the state oil company\u2019s personnel, and it set a very clear and divisive tone that was starting to shape what I later understood to be the culture of our society,\u201d said Way.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWay and her peers juggled classes and exams inside the classrooms and social conflicts and persecution outside of the college.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe quickly realized that there were going to be fewer opportunities available by graduation time as more private companies were leaving the country,\u201d said Way. \u201cIt was a challenging and uncertain environment, but we did our best to stay focused on our goals. I remember my mom and sister always liked the quote, \u2018If you change the way you see your life, the way you see your life will change.\u2019 This helped me stay focused on the life I wanted instead of what was going on around me at that time.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in petroleum engineering, Way began a career in the oil and gas industry that spanned nearly 10 years. During that time, she also earned a graduate degree in statistics. Despite her education and experience, Way\u2019s salary wasn\u2019t enough to support her mother and extended family.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTo make matters worse, my friends were being kidnapped and their families couldn\u2019t even afford to pay the ransom to save their lives,\u201d said Way. \u201cSadly, most people in my community didn\u2019t have the means to provide for their families and were living in constant fear of being robbed or even killed for something as small as a cellphone or a pair of shoes.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003ELeaving Venezuela and Starting a New Life\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWay made the difficult decision to leave Venezuela.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI felt powerless to make a difference if I stayed, and it was frustrating to see that there were no opportunities for growth or advancement in my career back home,\u201d said Way. \u201cI had prepared my whole life to seize opportunities, but there none to be found. That\u2019s why I decided to leave. I wanted to find a safer place to live and work where I could provide for my loved ones and have a chance at a better future.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWay felt it was time to escape the economic and social collapse of her country.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI love my hometown and my home country,\u201d said Way. \u201cIt was heartbreaking to leave behind my life, my land, and my beloved family and friends. I needed to create new opportunities for growth and find ways to support my family back home.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter moving to the United States, Way wanted to expand her skill set to access more opportunities outside of the volatile oil industry. She taught herself programming and volunteered with small startups in exchange for mentorship and hands-on projects. Eventually, she decided it was time to obtain a formal education and become part of a community of analysts, so she pursued her master\u2019s degree at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003EJuggling Work, Family, and Education\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring Way\u2019s time at Tech, she juggled work and family life. Since 2020, Way has been the director of the Houston Food Bank\u2019s data department. She also has had two babies since starting at Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI learned very early on that being organized and managing my time well was a key to my success, so I took that very seriously,\u201d said Way.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESometimes, no matter how much you plan, the universe has a plan of its own.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen my first son was born, he arrived a little earlier than expected and right in the middle of midterms that semester,\u201d said Way. \u201cTwo days after he was born, I took the test, but I was in so much pain. All I could focus on was my baby crying for mommy. Unfortunately, I failed it pretty badly. I ended up dropping the class that semester. When I retook it later, I did much better.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen Way\u2019s second baby came along, she decided this time to take a pause from school during the semester so she wouldn\u2019t put herself or the new baby under unnecessary stress.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere were some hard times,\u201d said Way. \u201cMy husband is such an ally and always gave me confidence and encouragement. The lack of time and headspace to be present as a calm, balanced partner really tested the strength of our marriage. Life is full of learning opportunities, and I\u2019m doing my best to learn from all of them.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter graduating, Way plans to use her extra time to reflect on all aspects of her life, seek knowledge, help others, and celebrate with loved ones.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne immigration process, two pregnancies, and one global pandemic made my experience more challenging, but the content, teachers, community, and my commitment to invest in my education made it possible for me to keep trying,\u201d said Way. \u201cI am so proud that I didn\u2019t give up.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKenia Way\u0027s inspiring journey from Venezuela to Georgia Tech is a story of resilience, determination, and hope. Way\u0027s pursuit of a better future for herself and her family led her to move to the United States and pursue a master\u0027s degree in analytics, despite numerous challenges and obstacles.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Kenia Way\u0027s inspiring journey from Venezuela to Georgia Tech is a story of resilience, determination, and hope."}],"uid":"36249","created_gmt":"2023-05-09 17:39:11","changed_gmt":"2023-05-11 14:46:24","author":"Sara Franc","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-05-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-05-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670775":{"id":"670775","type":"image","title":"Kenia Way","body":null,"created":"1683654909","gmt_created":"2023-05-09 17:55:09","changed":"1683654927","gmt_changed":"2023-05-09 17:55:27","alt":"Kenia Way","file":{"fid":"253700","name":"KeniaWayHeadshot.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/05\/09\/KeniaWayHeadshot.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/05\/09\/KeniaWayHeadshot.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":24367,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/05\/09\/KeniaWayHeadshot.jpeg?itok=i5hdGati"}}},"media_ids":["670775"],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1808","name":"graduate students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sara.franc@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESara Franc\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGraduate and Postdoctoral Education\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}