By SAMI MCGUIRE
Student Reporter
It all started with a father’s journey and a little girl’s dream.
Ana Gabriela Parra, a junior at Northwestern, can be seen in the wellness center on the regular. Her loose ponytail propped high on top of her head swings back and forth as she walks from each machine. She flashes a wide smile at people as she passes them. She looks like any regular American girl, but she is not.
Parra is from a country in South America called Venezuela. Her accent has faded now, but she said at first people had a hard time understanding her Spanish accent. Uprooting her life and moving across countries was not something she randomly decided to do. It has been her dream since she was a child to come to America.
Forty-three years ago Parra’s father came to America. First, he spent his time in Louisiana, but after running out of money he had to find a cheaper place to go to college. Northwestern, being one of the cheapest schools in the country was where he was advised to go. Parra said that her father loved Oklahoma, and even named one of his ranches in Venezuela “Oklahoma.”
That is where Parra’s dream originated. She started school at Oklahoma University, but switched after one semester. Because of her love of exercise she not only runs on Northwestern’s cross country team, but is pursuing a major in health and sports science.
Parra also loves to travel and has been to five countries and seven states. She also knows three languages, and plans to learn at least two more. With a wistful look she said “Whenever I graduate I’m thinking about selling everything I own to go and travel.”
What was once only a little girl’s dream has now become a woman’s reality.