My mother always made a point of telling me how much she loved me, of how much she loved all of us, me, my siblings and my dad. Ever since I can remember she would tell us this. I was raised in a good, Christian family filled with love, not only my parents' and brothers' love, but the love of an entire church as well. Everyone always told me that because I was a "good kid" I would grow up and graduate, go to college, get married and have kids someday. I believed it. That is the atmosphere that I grew up in and it still is.
Throughout my childhood I will admit that I was spoiled. I had everything that I wanted and nothing I did not. I had all the toys, all the movies, and I went to private school. Not only was I spoiled, but I was sheltered also. That is what everybody says. I had the money because my dad had a good job, and my parents had a very low rent due to the fact that in those early years when our family was smaller, we lived in a mobile home. I say that this was during my childhood specifically, because the same is no longer true. I would not have received this scholarship opportunity if my family's financial situation has remained the same over the years.
Another thing that I have been told since before I could even understand was that because my mom loved me she wanted me to have a better life than her. Every parent wants this for their children, but that stood out to me as a child because of the hardships that my parents had to overcome before and the trials that they are going through now. My parents came here as Mexican immigrants. That alone is hard enough to accomplish. They came here alone and worked here alone. They did not go to college. My dad did not even graduate from high school. My parents worked hard and learned the language very well. Today they both can speak a very high level of English that is usually seen only in the highly educated. The fact that they did not go to college because they could not, does not have any effect on their intelligence. My dad is currently unemployed and my mom does not make enough to support a family of six. Things are different now; they changed slowly over the years. This reality has made me a better person, not only because of the life experience I have gained, but because I wholly depend on God for everything now and this increased faith smoothes out my character.
I plan to graduate in May. There has never been any other option existing. I have been trained since I was two years old for this coming day. I was brought up not knowing any English, but my mother made sure I learned before I entered kindergarten. This shows the determination of both of my parents, my earliest and best educators, and my own determination. After graduation, I am going to college. This is the plan that God has laid out for me and it is the only option. This is significant because people around here in Arizona ask of graduating seniors if they are going to college, not where they are going to continue their education. I do not know where I will attend college in the fall, but I plan to major in medicine and foreign languages. I have chosen an ambitious career path, but it will be accomplished with God's help. I plan to make my parents' dreams come true as well as my own.