What Drives You?
From Medical School to Following Your True Calling: A Journey of Courage and Authenticity
What Drives You?
The hardest moment for Haydee was finding the courage to tell her mother she needed to withdraw from medical school. Her mother had dreamed of having a daughter who became a doctor, and Haydee had already completed two and a half years of the program.
In Ecuador at that time, students chose their academic track in middle school. High school was specialized, preparing them to enter a university program directly aligned with their chosen field. After graduation, Haydee went straight into an eight-year medical program. While she studied at a boarding high school, her mother—who was in Mexico for professional training—sent her textbooks in biochemistry, anatomy, and biology. Haydee didn't open them until she officially began her medical studies.
But something had already awakened in her years earlier.
When she took her first English class in middle school, she fell in love with the language. At fourteen, she was already translating voluntarily and studying grammar books on her own. English felt natural, joyful, and alive in a way medicine never did.
So one day, with courage and trembling honesty, she told her mother:
"Mom, I've tried hard, but medicine is not for me. I'm sorry to disappoint you. I need to withdraw."
Her mother listened quietly, thought for a moment, and asked:
"What would you like to do, then?"
Haydee didn't hesitate.
"I would love to study English."
Her mother nodded. "Okay, then. I'll pay for your English classes at the American Academy. Let's get you registered."
Haydee requested a placement test, confident in the knowledge she had gained on her own. She was placed at the intermediate level and completed the 22-month program. Shortly after graduating, she learned of a private university offering a final placement exam for students with strong English proficiency. Passing it meant entering directly into the second year of the Languages program. She took the exam—and passed.
Her path unfolded from there.
She became an English teacher at a private primary school and later at a middle school. She taught for about fifteen years before moving to the United States, earning a master's degree in Spanish and teaching at both a high school and a local university. Eventually, she transitioned into court interpreting and translation, earning her certification in Florida. Because she loved both interpreting and teaching, she proposed a mentorship program for her judicial circuit—an initiative her supervisors gladly approved.
In time, she built her own business as a freelance language professional, offering mentorship and translation services while creating resources for others in the field.
Sandra Haydee followed her heart. She embraced the talents God gave her—both natural and developed—and trusted that using them faithfully would lead her where she was meant to be. That has been the quiet secret behind her success.
What drives you to do what you do? Are you using your gifts—whether innate or cultivated—to serve others and shape your own path?
By Sandra Haydee Giroux
