My family used to live in Mexico but then they moved to Chicago. The reason my mom and dad moved to the U.S. was so that me and my brothers could have papers - to become United States citizens, because my mom and dad weren’t. They wanted us to finish high school and get good jobs. None of my brothers graduated high school so my mom expects me to finish high school so I can be successful.

When I was in 2nd grade, our family moved to Arizona. I felt like I wasn't that smart because I had to take an extra class when I was young just to catch up and I didn't have many friends. My mom wanted my family to move to Arizona but I didn't want to lose my best friend, David. He lived next door to me. We both liked similar things. Unfortunately, we ended up moving anyway. My mom moved because she and my dad got divorced and she couldn't afford to pay for the duplex.

A thing I remember after the divorce was that my mom blamed me and my brothers for my dad leaving. That ended up affecting me because I really thought it was our fault he left. Later on, I found out he left for another reason.

Something that stands out from before I moved was the last time I saw my dad. We went to a water park and I didn't think it would be the last time I saw him but that’s what ended up happening. A few months after that I was nervous about having to go to a new school and make new friends. Additionally, I was sad because I wouldn't be able to see the rest of my family. My grandparents had photos of my family around the house. They even had a calendar with pictures of my family in each month. That's how I remembered them, even though I hadn't seen them for years. My mom remarried but got divorced again at some point later on.

It was in 5th grade when she got the divorce. Then came Covid and I enjoyed that time because I didn't have to go to school. Somewhere in December of 6th grade, my grandpa died, followed by my uncle a few months later. It was hard to lose the people I cared about. I didn't think Covid would affect my life. My social skills were not as good as they were before because of Covid and not talking to anyone for a while.

During summer school for 6th grade, I met someone who changed all that. I sat next to him in art, and we started talking and interacting. It was because of Jaden that I started socializing more. In 7th grade, while my family was in Chicago visiting our extended family, my brother got a call from my mom saying my uncle died in his car because of a drug overdose. Even though I was sad, I knew that I had to keep going forward. I made new friends, saw some old friends and did my work in school. Now, in 8th grade, I'm in an honors history class. In the beginning, I just found it stressful and wanted to leave. But the day after I tried to leave the class, Mr. A encouraged me to rejoin because I was capable. After I came back, it continued to be stressful for me and I didn't enjoy it but each day it got easier and easier. Now I'm here (feeling more successful) and writing my story so that my experience can be shared with others. Even though the class is easier, my life still gets tough at times but I always keep moving forward. Some things happen every now and then that are challenging but still I keep moving forward.

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