I am starting a new opportunity as I take my fist step on campus. I was happy, nervous, and afraid. On the first day of school, I stood at the front of the campus, and a small whisper echoed in my ear, “Usted debe hacer mejor que nosotros” which means “You must do better than us”. The saying came from my grandpa who recently past away. I took a deep-breath and stepped forward to my first class at a university. Cirilo Santiago Bautista is my father’s father, and he grew up in a small rural town in Hidalgo, Mexico. Although, I did not spend enough time with him before he passed away, my grandpa Cirilo has strongly influenced my life, because he was able to overcome physical and personal hardship. My grandpa was born during the 1960s, and he
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Life was simple, but their lives was manual work with no material things. Once a year, he would treat his children to a surprise like going to a movie theater, going the the mall for new clothes, or going into the city. However, he wanted more for his children, but he did not make enough money to support the material things. He felt as if it was his fault, and he thought that his children deserved more than what he was able to offer. My grandpa encouraged my father and uncles to immigrate to the United States of America, in order to give new opportunities to his future grandchildren. This was a hard thing for him because no parent can let go of their children; however, he endured it, in order to ensure a better future for his family. Thus, the new generation of children were born as United States citizens, and with new opportunities. I physically met my grandpa only once when I was eight-years-old. However, over the years several of my family members who were able to leave the small town raised money in order to connect the small town with the outside world with phone lines. Therefore, I was able to speak with him over the telephone. Each phone call ended with his saying “Usted debe hacer mejor que nosotros” because that was his wish for not only me but for all of his grandchildren to do better than him and his children. Therefore, I strived for better. I studied and my grades were held above
Life was simple, but their lives was manual work with no material things. Once a year, he would treat his children to a surprise like going to a movie theater, going the the mall for new clothes, or going into the city. However, he wanted more for his children, but he did not make enough money to support the material things. He felt as if it was his fault, and he thought that his children deserved more than what he was able to offer. My grandpa encouraged my father and uncles to immigrate to the United States of America, in order to give new opportunities to his future grandchildren. This was a hard thing for him because no parent can let go of their children; however, he endured it, in order to ensure a better future for his family. Thus, the new generation of children were born as United States citizens, and with new opportunities. I physically met my grandpa only once when I was eight-years-old. However, over the years several of my family members who were able to leave the small town raised money in order to connect the small town with the outside world with phone lines. Therefore, I was able to speak with him over the telephone. Each phone call ended with his saying “Usted debe hacer mejor que nosotros” because that was his wish for not only me but for all of his grandchildren to do better than him and his children. Therefore, I strived for better. I studied and my grades were held above