When I look at those at the top with success, I don't see Latinos there. This was often the case throughout my high school career. Whenever I took advanced classes I rarely saw fellow Latinos, and it put me in a somber mood each time I thought about it. A floor stare moment, it is what I like to call it, because every time the idea crossed in my head, it ricocheted. My head drops and I just look at the floor and think, "why aren't Latinos doing better?" In my AP calculus class, the hardest math class offered at my school, there were no Hispanics or Latinos. When I received my highest honor award from my school, again I was the only Latino. Some of the hardest working people I know are Latinos, which only adds to my confusion. I believe the problem is that Latinos don't know they can do more. It has led me to develop a mindset of being the best I can in order to show others and Latinos, that we can do more. I want to go to college to show my friends, my family, and Latinos in general that hard work can push you in the right places. Hard work is something I feel a lot of Latinos know because a lot of us start in rough places. I recall growing up during tough times especially when it came to dinner. It followed a line, if there wasn't enough, my dad didn't eat. If there still wasn't enough my mom followed suit. However, my parents ensured that at the very least my older brother and I had enough to eat. When I talk to other Latinos they have experienced similar situations, but they don't do much to stop the cycle. Going hungry back was something my parents were used to, because growing up themselves, was also a struggle. It's a vicious cycle that is incredibly hard to break, especially since a lot Latinos don't know. It is why I think it is important to have Latinos in positions of success, so others know that it is possible. I know I can show others that we can go higher. However, I also know that reaching many people is hard, so I hope I can at least reach my younger siblings. My sisters will never have to experience the same struggles my brother and I faced. Moreover, being Latino I am constantly in awe when I see others who have faced similar struggles and succeeded. I was inspired growing up and I hope I can inspire others by showing that whether it be higher education, or entrepreneurship we can do more.

It impacted my life pretty heavily, because it happened relatively late in my life. There was a day I remember in particular, it was tense. My parents hardly talked to each other that day, but we had to go somewhere, I can't remember where, I just remember the car ride. We were in a car we had just got from the dealership a year ago, I don't know why but I always felt it made everything more awkward. The car was a van type, so there was a deceptive space between my brother and me and my parents. It was a tense ride, I still remember a coconut-y smell in the car, and a coldness due to the air conditioner going on full blast due to the summer. I can't remember what started the argument, I just remember my mom and dad shouting loudly. My brother and I were silent as we just looked at the floor, we had recently cleaned the car so I noticed a few crumbs on the floor. It was all I stared at in what felt like the longest car ride ever, I believe the whole argument only lasted 5 minutes but it felt like 2 hours. There were many situations throughout my youth where I didn't want to come home from school. But there wasn't much I could do since I was in elementary school. However, I did find a way I could be unbothered by the arguments going on, I could simply do my homework. In doing so, my parents would leave me alone and I could tune out any arguments if I was focused on my assignment. I can say with great confidence that I grew to have a joy for homework, because I was one of the few kids in my grade that always kept up with all the homework. Which meant that my teacher praised me greatly which in turn caused my teachers to tell my parents how great of a student I was. After hearing how "great" I was from teachers, my parents praised me as well. It brought me joy that my parents could find some sort of happiness in my "success" so I started a cycle of doing as much homework as possible. It was a cycle that resulted in my parents praising me and not arguing. The stakes were high for me, because I always felt I had to perform well in school, so anytime I didn't, I got great anxiety. I recall an instance when I got a BI- on my report card, and my parents were disappointed. My dad was angry and wanted to approach the situation strongly, whereas my mom preferred a different approach. Eventually, their little disagreement snowballed into a giant argument which spanned over an hour. From then on I tried even harder to maintain my grades at higher than a B-. I grew to have a great relationship with my schoolwork, because to me it felt like an opportunity to advance. Ever since, I have been chasing opportunities to advance myself. There are many times where I simply worked through tough times, because I know you cannot stop at such pivotal times. It has been my mentality for my academic career and in life as well. You cannot stop, because if you stop the result will be worse than if you continued. I believe firmly in the idea of trying rather than not.

My parents have been working since they were children, my family background is full of workers. My mom has worked since she was 6 years old, and my dad has been working since 7 years old. They have both been working for a long time, and didn't get the opportunity to study as much as I have. Both of my parents had to work in order to help their families out which meant that devoting time to school seemed trivial, and in Mexico there isn't an importance placed on learning. My parents didn't have the opportunity to learn, so they worked hard in order to ensure that my brother and I could have the opportunity. I hope to get more opportunities with my education. I want to do more, I believe I can do more. My education is just a stepping stone into doing more. More to me is breaking the cycle my family has been in. My grandparents skipped school and went to the workforce, young. My parents did the same thing, I hope to break this cycle of stopping education in favor of working. Once I do, I hope to do the same for my siblings. I want every kid in my family to have the option to pursue their education as much as they want to, without worrying about having to provide. I want there to be a new cycle of opportunities in my family, and my education will help me get there.