The word “immigrant” is often said with a negative connotation. This is a word I know all too well. I didn't know what an immigrant was until I was probably in the fourth grade when Mexican immigrants were all over the news. Illegal immigrants, the struggle for American citizenship, and the immigrants’ everlasting hope of achieving the American Dream was always part of the headline. I knew my parents weren’t from the United States, but they had adapted well to the country. I didn't think they struggled like the people I saw on the news. Little did I know, they constantly worried about providing a better life my sisters and me.
My mother was born in the capital of Chihuahua, Mexico. As a young girl, my mother moved around Mexico because …show more content…
Whenever I asked my mother how to say something, she couldn't always answer my question, but that helped me in the long run. My education was like any other American child, except for the fact that I had a translator every second of the day. I remember feeling stupid for not knowing what the teacher was saying and for constantly needing help. Eventually, I learned English quickly and effectively. By the time I was in first grade, I could speak and comprehend English just as well as the next kid. In second grade, I was at the reading level of a fifth grader. By the fourth grade, I knew the value of education and I felt its power.
An important aspect of my life has always been my education. I was taught that education was an opportunity. Education could make me have a life better than my parents lived or that we were provided. Money was not a factor in your intelligence. A good education could get me out of the situation I was living in, one with no financial stability. Hard work led to good grades; good grades led to a good college; and a good college led to a good job. A good job meant I wouldn't have to worry about the troubles that my parents and their parents before them
My mother was born in the capital of Chihuahua, Mexico. As a young girl, my mother moved around Mexico because …show more content…
Whenever I asked my mother how to say something, she couldn't always answer my question, but that helped me in the long run. My education was like any other American child, except for the fact that I had a translator every second of the day. I remember feeling stupid for not knowing what the teacher was saying and for constantly needing help. Eventually, I learned English quickly and effectively. By the time I was in first grade, I could speak and comprehend English just as well as the next kid. In second grade, I was at the reading level of a fifth grader. By the fourth grade, I knew the value of education and I felt its power.
An important aspect of my life has always been my education. I was taught that education was an opportunity. Education could make me have a life better than my parents lived or that we were provided. Money was not a factor in your intelligence. A good education could get me out of the situation I was living in, one with no financial stability. Hard work led to good grades; good grades led to a good college; and a good college led to a good job. A good job meant I wouldn't have to worry about the troubles that my parents and their parents before them