Berenice is More Than Enough

“Am I enough?” 

Berenice Vega Ramírez has struggled with this question for much of her life, often questioning her worth. She was given up for adoption at birth by her mother, who was just 16 when she was born.  

Without hesitation, her grandma chose to adopt her. Berenice grew up in a big family in Mexico, sharing a home with six siblings and her grandparents. Her aunt and uncle, whom she now calls “mom” and “dad,” lived in a different city and would regularly send money for support. When Berenice was four, she moved in permanently with them and two other siblings.  

Growing up, she often had feelings of abandonment because she wasn’t her adoptive parents’ biological child. “If your biological mom, who’s supposed to love you most, didn’t choose you, how can you ever love yourself?” she asks. Her adoptive mom, a psychologist, recognized Berenice’s struggles and took her to therapy when she was eight so she could begin to heal. 

Discovering her calling 

Of her siblings, nieces, and nephews, Berenice was the first woman in her family to complete university, earning a degree in graphic design. She won a scholarship and spent a semester in Spain, which she once thought was impossible.  

In 2016, when her mom was injured in an accident, Berenice quit her graphic design job to nurse her back to health. As her mom improved, she found a new career as an art teacher. She thrived in her new role, as she loved teaching children. She explains, “I am patient with children and can teach them what love, patience, and being nice to others means. That’s because of my grandma, and what she taught me.” Conversant in English and great with kids, Berenice was promoted to Grade Two Support Teacher and later to Grade One Teacher. She smiled, “I found my happy place.”  Her best friend, Ashley, started to work at a bigger school for better pay and recommended that she join her. Berenice was hesitant at first because she enjoyed the play-based learning at her current school. However, in 2018, she began teaching as an English Language Arts teacher.  

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic completely flipped her world around. Her grandma, the most important person in her life, passed away, which made her feel like her world was falling into pieces. Without her rock – her grandma – grounding her, she started to reevaluate herself and her life.   

Choosing her own path 

Unhappy in her teaching job, she started saving money to move to Canada to study the play-based learning she’d fallen in love with. Through an agent, Berenice came across Stenberg College’s Early Childhood Educator program, which had the play-based, child-centred learning approach she sought. 

In 2024, she moved to Canada. It was difficult, leaving behind her life, family, friends, and career. But she knew she had made the right decision and possessed the strength to succeed.  

At Stenberg College, she formed a bond with her classmates that felt like family. They supported each other through difficult situations and personal loss. One of her classmates, Chelsea, said, “Berenice is an incredible friend. Her empathy, resilience, and positivity make her someone people naturally look up to and rely on. These qualities extend into her professional work with children, where her creativity, confidence, and dedication are evident in every interaction.” Her practicum was at Creative Kids Learning Centre, which followed the Reggio Emilia play-based approach. “During my traditional education, the teachers always said, ‘Don’t do that. Stay still. Don’t move. Don’t get dirty. Just sit there.’ This centre is the opposite; it challenges everything I grew up knowing, and that’s exactly why I love it.” 

Sonja Williams, Facility Support Manager at Creative Kids, says, “From the beginning of her placement, Berenice integrated seamlessly into our childcare environment. She demonstrated not only a strong grasp of her responsibilities but also a genuine enthusiasm for connecting with the children in her care.” 

Finding her answer 

Berenice graduated with an extraordinary 98% grade point average. On the final day of her practicum, Creative Kids offered her a full-time Early Childhood Educator position. Today, she lives in a home that she describes as “beautiful” and proudly calls her own. “I feel really proud of myself, because I don’t know if this would have been possible in Mexico.” Her next goal is securing Permanent Residency, so she can continue building the life she has worked so hard to achieve. “Canada has become my home – my happy place.” 

She can finally answer that lifelong question: “And yes, I am enough.”