A Cuban woman from the town of Florida in Camagüey took to TikTok to share her winding academic and professional journey before moving to Galicia, Spain. Her story is a blend of humor and candor, highlighting the unexpected turns that shaped her life on the island.
Leyanet Franke, who shares her experiences under the username @leyanetfrankedelp, began her video with a humorous warning: "Sit down because this is like a Netflix series with more plot twists than a Mexican soap opera."
Her narrative begins in elementary school, where she admits that math nearly defeated her at the outset. It was during fifth and sixth grade, thanks to excellent teachers, that she began to improve. In high school, she managed to get through without much fanfare but held onto her ambitions.
Unexpected Turns in Education
Upon completing high school, her initial goal was to study Teacher Training, but her friends persuaded her to pursue pre-university studies instead. "There's always a friend who comes along and changes the course of your life," she remarked with a laugh.
During her pre-university years, she set her sights on the pharmaceutical industry. "I already envisioned myself creating medications and discovering important things for humanity," she shared. Unable to enroll in that field, she opted for a Chemical Engineering degree through a weekend course program, where students attend classes only on Saturdays.
The Challenges of Higher Education
This choice presented a dual challenge: residing in Florida required her to travel every weekend to Camagüey for classes, and upon returning, she had no classmates with whom to study. "Who did I study with? Nobody," she recalled.
Her ultimate challenge came with Calculus. "Calculus and I had a toxic relationship: I'd look at it, it would look at me, but neither of us understood what the other was doing," she described. "When Calculus came around, my brain would shut like a window blind."
At 18, aware of the financial burden her mother bore every weekend for her trips, she made a tough decision: "Even though I liked the degree, I knew I wouldn't make it to graduation with Calculus." She left university during her first year.
A New Path in Life
What followed was far from straightforward. Her first job was as a secretary at an agricultural company. She then spent eight years in a hospital's dialysis unit, a role entirely different from anything she had studied or dreamed of.
Today, Leyanet resides in Galicia, where she bakes cakes and creates TikTok content. Earlier this year, she shared videos about the challenges of adapting to life in Spain and the mistakes she made upon arrival.
"My academic and professional journey wasn't exactly a straight line," Leyanet concluded in her video. "It was more like a roller coaster without a safety belt. But here we are, alive and kicking, now making cakes and TikTok videos."
Understanding Leyanet Franke's Journey to Spain
What challenges did Leyanet face during her education in Cuba?
Leyanet struggled with math in elementary school and faced difficulties with Calculus in university, leading her to leave her Chemical Engineering studies. Additionally, she had to travel every weekend to attend classes, making it challenging to study with peers.
What career path did Leyanet pursue after leaving university?
After university, Leyanet worked as a secretary in an agricultural company and later spent eight years working in a hospital's dialysis unit, a field unrelated to her initial academic pursuits.