I was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, and moved to California when I was very young. Before I moved to California my dad traveled back and forth for 2 or 3 yrs from California and back to Costa Rica. He spent most of his time working in the Fresno area, in the cities of Tulare, and Visalia. He says he spent his time working in any available job including some farm labor jobs and went back to Costa Rica to spend time with us. After the second time he left Costa Rica to come and work he did not go back. At that time, amnesty was given to immigrants in California, and he moved up north to the Bay area to find a steady job.
That is when he saved enough money for my mother, my two siblings, and I to join him in California. My first few years since I moved were adventurous. I had to become accustomed to a new environment, a new language, and a whole new diverse of people and cultures. I was in ESL programs until I entered junior high school. Learning the language, and trying to keep up with the class work was a challenge for me. Having friends who spoke my language, and the English language as well was an advantage I had.
Having that extra help and support really made my school experience challenging, but exciting as well. Remembering the support I received from those friends creates a need in me to do the same for other people. I don’t only believe that the support that I can give to migrant students as a Mini-Corps student will help them in succeeding in school, but I believe that an appreciation for school can be gained as well, and hopefully bring insight for continuing their studies beyond high school. As I improved in my English I also grew an interest in writing.
I enjoyed my English classes, along with my math classes too. My interest grew and grew, and I joined summer girl programs. After participating two year, I became a mentor to those new peers coming into the program. I worked with teachers in Science, and in Math classes. I also participated in the volleyball activities, and group activities. This is when I realized I wanted to work with youth my whole life. My interest in English, and my interest in being a role model to youth made me decide to become an English teacher, especially working with students whose first language is not English.
Now, I am a college student. I first went to UC Santa Barbara, where I dealt with more hardship than I expected. My grades were poor, and I decided to come back home. I needed support from my family, and I was glad when I got it. Slowly I have raised my grades up, in this year, and I am ready to embark on a journey once again, and I would like to also be a positive influence on those students who are embarking on their journey now. By becoming a Mini-Corps student I can do that.
