Personal Essay: Growing Up In The Classroom

Growing up, I would describe my background being placed in the middle class spectrum. I was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida. My parents were migrants from Haiti coming from families that were not impoverished but also not well off. My father came here young in the 80s, being able to adjust and learn how to survive and live in this country. Everything that he has and own was built from the ground up. He was not fortunate to have anything passed on as an inheritance. Life as a child was good for me. My father always tried to find ways to make a living. He owned a bus working for one of the city’s transportation services. He then went on to open up his own bakery. All these business were sold by the time I was born. Going as far as I …show more content…
This is when I realized that we were more fortunate than others. Our parents were frugal with their spending so we didn’t get everything we ever wanted but we were able to stay afloat. My father now worked only one job and my mom begin working full time. Another thing that made me aware of class was my parents placing us in a Private institution. Most if not all of my friends in my community and church went to public schools. Not only were we the odd bunch for living in Miami Beach but also for going to a private school. Others around me did not share similar experiences that I did. As an adolescent and as a young adult, I was aware that we were not wealthy or rich but we were well off as ‘middle classers”. In the 2000s, in my teen years, my parents decided to be homeowners and bought a house North of Miami. A few years later, my dad purchased his dream car, a Honda Pilot. I recognized that we were thriving as low income individuals typically find owning a home difficult, if not impossible. Our family vehicle was a recent model and paid off. Also, both my sibling and I were enrolled in a private