Reach your dreams...

Keep going, no looking back

            “Don’t give up, I know you can do it”, my brother said, after a long day at school. I was completing my homework and complaining. “It’s too much work, I feel like I cant do it” I replied.

Having a role model in my life is important because I have someone to look up to. In my case I’ve had three role models that I’ve look up to. The first one is my mom because she has been a single mother for my two older siblings and me. That makes me look up to her and cherish all her hard work because she has sacrificed a lot for us. She worked two jobs and has always supported us even if she struggled. I look up to her because no matter how tough situations would get she finds a way in fixing any problem we have. Another role model that I have is my older sister and my older brother. Even though they did not graduate high school because they dropped out they still manage to support me in going to school. When times get tough and I feel like school and work is too much I know that having people supporting me and telling me that they didn’t make it to were I am at right now keeps me motivated because I want to make them proud.

Changing The Pattern

“Like trouble makers. Like regular young people, up to no good, dumb people who aren’t interested in school just interested I drugs and money. Like they don’t really think of us like the future. They don’t really look at us like the future. And they’re afraid of us” (Cammarota 10).

The consequences in having positive and negative expectations from people around you are: that you will listen to them. For example, when people have positive expectations from you, you tend to feel good about yourself and you want to keep moving forward because you feel that you can do it. You feel that, that person believes in you. In my experience my mom always believes in me and tells me that I can really become whatever I want to become if I have a passion for it and if I attend school. She gives me hope and then I believe in myself because I know that she tells me that I can do it. I don’t want to let myself down, but most of all I don’t want to let her down because I know that she sacrificed a lot for us to be where we are now. And I have to take advantage of the opportunity that she is giving me in attending school and not working fulltime and she’s not telling me to drop out and just work. She knows that if I attend school now it will pay off in the future and I I’ll make her proud.

“They want to take some initiative for themselves, for the future, for their education” (Cammarota 12).

            I relate to Camarrota’s quote, because people have negative expectations on where your from or what school you attended. I’m from a small town called East Palo Alto (EPA), and this city has many negative aspects and views to it. People have these views upon us, young adults, because a part of us prove the stereotypes they have correct. Therefore, they have negative expectations.  Many people think the highest education that, us, young adults will obtain is “probably” a high school diploma. That is incorrect. Even though we still have those negative expectations upon ourselves, I still don’t feel like that is a big obstacle. I put that aside and kept going further into college and expanding my skills and gaining more knowledge because where your from or where you went doesn’t determine where you’ll end up.

Finding myself

“.. a high school degree for a Latina youth means that she has achieved more than any other woman in the family. The achievement offers a Latina more control over her life.” (Cammarota 12)

            I relate to what Cammarota is saying because in my family I am the only one that has graduated high school and the only one that has and is attending college. I find myself thinking that if I work hard enough and go to school and obtain the knowledge I need I will contribute to my family by helping out my mom with financial money at home so she wont be worried too much. Before I started college I didn’t care if I had a job because I know my mom would give me money. I wouldn’t be responsible in having things to do. I would just do whatever I remembered, because in high school that was “fine”. I can say that I did not know who I was yet during high school. That summer of my high school graduation I found myself. I did a 360 drastic change on myself. Now I have a planner where I have all my important school dates and work dates. I find myself being more caring and responsible and contributing to my family.