I was born in Mexico in 1996 and when I was just 11 months old my parents decided to immigrate to the United States to try and give me and my brother a better life. When I was younger I never questioned why I’d have to wake up at 4 in the morning to go to my babysitter’s house; it wasn’t until I was around 5 years old that I realized my mom, brother, and me were all living in this country illegally, my dad was the only one who was a legal resident. My mom and dad worked long hours in the Florida orange groves to be able to provide a better life for me and my brother; despite the bad conditions they worked in they were never discouraged because they knew that in the end any sacrifices made would be worth it if it meant a better future for us.
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My parents also did not speak any English so I relied solely on my brother to teach me since he had already been in school for four years now. For the first four year of school I was in the ESOL program which helped tutor students who were learning English as their second language. This program provided a significant amount of help for me and by the time I was in the second grade, not only had I mastered the basics of the English language I was also now reading at a fourth grade level. My parents despite never graduating from school themselves, knew the importance of getting an education, so they always motivated me to be the best and to never let anything stop me from achieving my goals. I was also motivated by the struggles my parents faced because, I did not want their struggle to be in vain, so I always pushed myself to excel in every subject, as a result I was placed in the gifted classes for students who were learning at an accelerated rate. When I was 9 years old my mom, brother, and I finally became legal permanent residents and we were finally able to travel to Mexico. My parents were able to see their families whom they hadn’t seen in a decade. Unfortunately, on our first trip to Mexico my dad’s father passed away and we ended up staying longer than intended. We did not return to Florida until after school had already started and because of this, I was
My parents also did not speak any English so I relied solely on my brother to teach me since he had already been in school for four years now. For the first four year of school I was in the ESOL program which helped tutor students who were learning English as their second language. This program provided a significant amount of help for me and by the time I was in the second grade, not only had I mastered the basics of the English language I was also now reading at a fourth grade level. My parents despite never graduating from school themselves, knew the importance of getting an education, so they always motivated me to be the best and to never let anything stop me from achieving my goals. I was also motivated by the struggles my parents faced because, I did not want their struggle to be in vain, so I always pushed myself to excel in every subject, as a result I was placed in the gifted classes for students who were learning at an accelerated rate. When I was 9 years old my mom, brother, and I finally became legal permanent residents and we were finally able to travel to Mexico. My parents were able to see their families whom they hadn’t seen in a decade. Unfortunately, on our first trip to Mexico my dad’s father passed away and we ended up staying longer than intended. We did not return to Florida until after school had already started and because of this, I was