My American dream of getting an education was slipping away when I reached my 14 birthday and still working as a migrant farmworker. Most migrant youth around me had given up on education- reality had compelled them to accept their destiny. One day, news of my father's death reached me while I picked cotton. It would come to change my life. After much hardship, sorrow, and pain, my family settled in a south Texas town to start a new life. Supported by social services and free housing, I was finally able to enroll in school. After many adjustments and social adaptations, I was able to find a school that eventually prepared me to earn a Master's degree. After reaching my own goals, I became an educational reformist, and went on to co-found the first accredited Mexican-American college in the country.
Theme(s)
Family, Work, Faith, Community