Hungry to Succeed
I have always been very determined; striving to become more than what I already am. I was very ambitious as a little girl. It hasn’t changed, and I don’t think it will. Everything that I do now is for my mom. She has done so much for me, and deserves so much.
My mom grew up on a small farm in Mexico and went to school until second grade. She left school to take care of her younger siblings. She came to the U.S not knowing English. She worked hard to learn the language, write it and speak it. She’s my motivation. We’ve gone through some tough times, but she’s always done her best to go above and beyond for me and my brother. She is so strong. She’s my rock.
You wouldn’t expect people to suffer through hunger, but I did. My dad was constantly out of town finding work. It was often just me, my brother and my mom at home. Sometimes my mom would go to various locations to get our bills paid and get food from the food pantry. I remember when had to live off a bag of potatoes for a week or two. Ever since then I told myself I don’t want live like that, nor my mom.
When it came time for college, I was going to attend UT Dallas, as they were covering my first year. Then one day a letter from UNT Dallas grabbed my attention. It said I was eligible to receive a full-ride scholarship. When I visited UNT Dallas for the interview, I fell in love with the school. A week later, my counselor told me I received the scholarship to UNT Dallas. I was shocked.
I love UNT Dallas’ small campus, and family-like environment. It’s what attracted me to the school. I feel comfortable here. I’ve always gone to a small school. At Harmony Science Academy, everyone knew my name, who I was and what was I doing. I wanted a similar experience in college.
Going to college has helped me grow up. As a first-generation college student, and the oldest in my family, going to college was stressful, but I made it happen. I am very independent. I don’t have anybody taking me by the hand saying, hey get your stuff done or do it now. My success depends on me. Now my brother is in college too, and my parents are proud of both of us.
After graduation I hope to work in Human Resources and pursue an MBA. I love to interact with people, and I want to be a leader who helps companies and their employees work together to create a better working environment.
I want other students to know that pain and struggles in life are only temporary. If you are working hard right now, it’s going to be worth it at the end. Don’t give up. Do something that makes you happy. Whatever you want to do, go for it!
