My life has been anything, but ordinary.
In fact, it has been quite a journey. It was the warm night of a 3rd day of May in the year 1993. It poured outside. The hospital’s palm trees shook as the strong storm winds of the night from the nearby Pacific Ocean made their way in-land. A mother, scared, panicked as she struggled to deliver her first child. In moments, the baby cried and saw light by his mother and father’s side. The newborn came to earth in perfect health, vivid and beautiful in the city of La Union in the country of El Salvador. This was his beginning.
Only a couple of months before my first birthday, my father had to leave to America in hopes of finding a better job that could provide for my family and I. It was nice to have my mom and grandparents by my side to lookout for me. Sadly, my mother also left to America when I was only three years old, leaving me behind with my grandparents to care of me. It was very sad; my parents were far away and there I was, not knowing if I would ever see them again. I missed them so much.
I started elementary school at the age of four. Two years later, I picked up my parents and my newborn baby sister from the airport at around the age of six. They had arrived from America to take me back with them. Our flight landed in Washington, D.C. on a hot August night of the year 2000. Northern Virginia would be my new home.
I was about to embark on a new journey, a new culture, a land of opportunity. It was nothing like the place where I was living before – technology was abundant. I started second grade and was determined to learn English quickly. I soon discovered that my parents worked very hard to provide for my sister and I. My mom cleaned homes and my dad was a full-time construction worker. My intelligent mind knew that they had brought me to America in hopes that I would become a good man one day with a great profession. Elementary school graduation was a success! I mastered English and Spanish and was academically prepared to face middle school and any obstacle that was yet to come.
During those years, I proved myself capable of taking higher-level classes while participating in my favorite sports, which are soccer and baseball. At home, I would help my little sister with homework and help my parents better their English to help them be successful. My parents achieved their citizenship in America, and shortly after, I became a citizen too.
(Photo: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
I graduated from middle school with honor recognition and as a very successful young student who was off to live the high school experience. Financial problems occurred on a day-to-day basis. However, this did not interrupt my motivation in my academics. In high school, I studied and worked at the same time to help my mother with the bills. I am glad to say that I have worked ever since as I have learned to value the little that I have and take pride in achieving my goals.
At Freedom High School, I challenged myself to rigorous coursework in which I was taking multiple advanced placement courses and was also part of many sports and clubs. I was soon to turn 18 and was about to graduate from high school in the top 15 percent of my class. It was such an amazing, happy day for me on graduation day on June 2011 when I gave my family the satisfaction of being the first in the family to graduate from high school.
I felt so proud of myself for setting such good example for my sister and all my little cousins. I started college far away from home in Reno, Nevada on July of 2011. I wanted to experience college in a new place and face “real life” alone. Nonetheless, I returned back one year after to help my hard-working mother and continued my education at Northern Virginia Community College. Shortly after, I was offered a job as a passenger service agent working for AirFrance at Washington Dulles International Airport. This would be one of the best job experience.
Who would have known that that one little boy would ever work for one of the biggest airlines in the world or that he would be the first to graduate with an associate’s degree this summer 2014. My family has always worked very hard to help me be the successful person that I am today.
It has been almost 23 years of life in which I have experienced some of the most remarkable situations that have made me the person I am today. Nothing has been easy throughout these years, especially because of the many life obstacles that have crossed along the way.
George Mason University (Photo: Alexis Glenn/Creative Services/George Mason University,
But I am who I am today because of the encouragement of many, and my desire to always be the best I can be. I am extremely proud of myself for all the personal and academic achievements that I have accomplished. I am very optimistic about my future and aspire about achieving a great profession and helping others. With the help of God, my family, and my determination, I strongly believe that I will make it to great heights.
Now, I am two years away from graduating at George Mason University with a major in Communication, a concentration in Journalism, and a minor in Intelligence Analysis. Here I am today, a successful, hard-working, humble young man who wishes to continue his education to obtain a master’s degree, dreaming big towards a successful, happy and rewarding life!
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