In most households, it’s common for the parents to be the ones teaching their children how to go about their lives. However throughout most of my childhood, I remember my sister being the one to show me everything.
Both of my parents left their homes for America in pursuit of a better life, for themselves and their children. My father was unable to finish elementary school, as he had to work in order to support his family. On the other hand, my mother was able to graduate high school with the support of her parents. Coming to America was a difficult process for the both of them, but they managed to get through it.
Neither of my parents ever learned proper English. My mom is able to read it and speak it poorly, but my dad has a much harder time. Spanish was my first language due to this and at first there were hardly any problems. But as I began attending preschool, I was only able to communicate with one of my teachers, and hardly any students.
I’ve always had to figure out problems from school without the help of my parents solely because they couldn’t understand either. Having dealt with the same thing, my older sister was the one to help me. I remember being little and she would set up her whiteboard, a table, with all of our school supplies on it. She would be the teacher, and show me a multitude of topics. She would always read to me, and was one of the main reasons as to why I was able to learn English.
I’ve always looked up to my sister, as a person and as a student. Most of my upbringings I owe to her, but she had nobody to help her, only herself. She was able to learn English just by going to school and she graduated high school without the help of our parents. Although she was valedictorian and got accepted into Stanford, she was never much of a show-off. She seemed more appreciative of the chances that she earned, even if she was scared at times.
Because of the inspiration my family is to me, I’ve always valued my education and appreciated every opportunity given to me. I’ve learned to dream big throughout my life and work hard to reach all of my goals. I think it’s important to remember that it’s not a bad thing to have hopes for the future. Everything is attainable because we have no limits.
