My father was born and grew up in Mexico, he made it to the eighth grade before my grandpa took him out of school to work and make money for the family. My dad always tells me he liked school, he tells me that school was a luxury at that time in Mexico. In a small pueblo in Mexico it’s never about brains it’s all about brawn and hard work. In my family at that time, unlike others the women were expected to have a good education the men in the family worked to send the women to school.

My dad was sixteen years old when he first arrived in the United States to work, and hasn’t stopped since. It was 1985 and my dad was in Wyoming working as a lumberjack with his older brother who got him the job. He tells me that work was pretty much easy and he was making more money than he's ever seen in his life. He tells me that he got sick of the United States after about two years and went back to Mexico but this time he had money. My dad went to Mexico with a new truck, five thousand dollars and gifts for his parents, he told me this was the happiest he had ever been.

My dad is very big on hard work with my brothers and I, especially in school. My parents have always told my brothers and I that they ant us to come out ahead, with emphasis on me since I’m the oldest. My dads always telling me stories of everything he did when he was my age most of the time trying to call me lazy when he knows I’m not. I strongly believe that my parents have my brothers and headed in the right direction, I like the way they push us in life to be good people.

I’m the type of person that loves to prove people wrong just like my father. People that were born here or that are from families that go to college can be very prejudice against Hispanics or other races that tend to be minorities in the colleges around the United States. Being a Mexican- American, nothings really expected of me by society but having my family expect so much out of me really motivates me. Because of my family pushing me so hard, I’m very excited for my future and can’t wait to prove everybody wrong and not end up on the negative side of the statistics like others that I know. My community needs more kids that try and don’t listen to people who say they are going to fail I’m trying to be different and try to be an example, especially towards my brothers.