Breaking Cycles: How Bryanna Flores Found Her Purpose

Samuel Wenck 

For Bryanna Flores, the term “hard worker” is a gross underestimate of her capabilities and work ethic.  

Maintaining an impressive GPA while working simultaneously during the school year, Flores has continued to prove her strong sense of self-worth with an unwavering mental. One that she hopes she can use to help others in the future. 

Being a first-generation student, Flores has struggled in the past with expectations and questions surrounding her major. Her family would question the legitimacy of her career path putting doubts in her head about what she wanted to do early into college. 

“There was some second guessing on my end, like well am I making the right decision?” Flores said, who originally started as a nursing major and changed it later after taking a psychology class and realizing that was the right place for her. Causing initial concern and doubt for her career future. 

“If they (her family) don’t support my psych career and nursing doesn’t go right, then what am I supposed to do,” said Flores, describing the struggles she dealt with mentally during that time period. Having the weight of expectation which is to be expected after learning about her family’s background of hardworking individuals. 

But even with the weight of all these expectations Flores uses that as a blessing almost, a standard that she can help set for herself that expects success. 

“First-generation means a lot to me. It’s what’s kept me going,” said Flores. 

“To me I’m finally fulfilling what my grandparents wanted for me,” said Flores now, who lists her grandparents' achievements as major inspirations in her life, “My grandparents came here 30 years ago and with no language they were able to make their own construction company.” 

That ability to battle through adversity and adapt to surroundings her grandparents had is reflected in Flores, who has come into her own at Towson University and has only grown since these beginning problems she had faced. Even when backed into corners. 

In her junior year Flores saw herself struggling with a severe bout of depression. “I was crying everyday, I was like how am I going to push through and do this,” said Flores. Who saw her GPA dip below the standards she had set for herself previously. 

But Flores remained strong that year and with the help of her family’s support around her brought herself back up to speed by the end of that junior year, “I was able to come back, address what I was going through, change it, and have my support system around me.” 

“Success for me is having your happiness, to achieve the goals that you wanted in life is success,” said Flores. Who now understands the double-edged sword that is expectation and how to rationalize it. 

“Everyone’s timeline is different, we never have to sit here and say it took me six years, it took me eight, it took me ten,” said Flores “You’re going to get there, you just have to stay strong, stay motivated, stay dedicated and you can do it.” 

The early Towson graduate finishes her college career with a double major in psychology and family science, hoping to go into family counseling, while she’s currently applying for grad schools.