Personal Statement
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to go to college and make a difference in my family. However, there were many obstacles I had to overcome in order to make this happen: coming from a small town, with two parents who work in the fields, picking oranges everyday in the hot sun, who themselves never finished high school, plus not being a resident of the U.S, I realized attending college straight out of high school would be a huge obstacle I would have to overcome.
I come from a family for whom college is not appealing. The majority of my cousins either got married, joined gangs, or simply stopped their education after high school. Today most of them work in the fields like their parents, or in restaurants for minimum wage. Throughout the last few years, I witnessed several of my cousins struggle moneywise. This opened my eyes because I realized I did not want to end up like them. My plan for the future is to change this cycle.
Like I said before, college was never a necessity in my family, so when my parents found out about my interest in college, it came as a pleasant surprise to them.. They confessed that I had made the right decision for my future.
Since my family members did not attended college, I didn’t have a clue as to what was expected from universities. This is when I decided to join Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) to get a better understanding of universities and what I must do in the four years of high school. AVID opened my mind to so many possibilities and to universities I never would have thought of considering.
I wanted to change the family tradition of quitting on school. I wanted my younger cousins to realize that even our family can go to any university. I wanted them to know they don’t have to stay here in Lindsay and become a nobody. I wanted them to realize that if I can do it so can they, and that we are all capable of having a better future. I believe my education is the first priority, since it will get me through life.
Currently I have three younger sisters who all look up to me. This motivates me day after day to do my very best and show them that even though most of our family does not tend to go far in life, they are capable of reaching their dreams as well, and will have so much more opportunity than I ever had. I will never give up on my dreams and will make everyone in my family proud because I know they believe in me.
I come from a family for whom college is not appealing. The majority of my cousins either got married, joined gangs, or simply stopped their education after high school. Today most of them work in the fields like their parents, or in restaurants for minimum wage. Throughout the last few years, I witnessed several of my cousins struggle moneywise. This opened my eyes because I realized I did not want to end up like them. My plan for the future is to change this cycle.
Like I said before, college was never a necessity in my family, so when my parents found out about my interest in college, it came as a pleasant surprise to them.. They confessed that I had made the right decision for my future.
Since my family members did not attended college, I didn’t have a clue as to what was expected from universities. This is when I decided to join Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) to get a better understanding of universities and what I must do in the four years of high school. AVID opened my mind to so many possibilities and to universities I never would have thought of considering.
I wanted to change the family tradition of quitting on school. I wanted my younger cousins to realize that even our family can go to any university. I wanted them to know they don’t have to stay here in Lindsay and become a nobody. I wanted them to realize that if I can do it so can they, and that we are all capable of having a better future. I believe my education is the first priority, since it will get me through life.
Currently I have three younger sisters who all look up to me. This motivates me day after day to do my very best and show them that even though most of our family does not tend to go far in life, they are capable of reaching their dreams as well, and will have so much more opportunity than I ever had. I will never give up on my dreams and will make everyone in my family proud because I know they believe in me.