I was born on June 25th in Phoenix Arizona to my mother and my father in a two-story house where I would live for eleven years. I would have a normal childhood with my mother and my other family members, who raised me. My dad was never around because he was deported when I was young and because of this, I did not know I had a father.

I am the oldest of two kids. Being the oldest has its pros and cons, but when you're the oldest you feel a bit more responsible and mature. For me, being the oldest is a job. I would not consider myself a “do your best in school” type. In fact, I’m quite the opposite. I have always had a habit of getting in trouble. To be honest, I got in trouble so many times that the principal at my old school knew me very well. Even as far back as when I was in kindergarten, the principal knew who I was. I had horrible behavior.

Around that same time, I also had the highest score in the class for reading 100 words fluently. This would be the start of my love for reading. When I was young, I had a speech problem but that did not stop my love for reading. The more I read, the more my speech improved.

Something else I loved when I was younger was playing soccer with my friends. For me, as a kid, when I played soccer, it felt like heaven. When I had a bad day, it made me feel better. Even if I was having a good day, it still gave me a rush of joy. I never thought school was for me. Even when I saw other kids trying hard and doing their best. I wanted to be like them and thought about all the distractions I caused and what others did to disrupt the learning process.

Eventually, I developed a desire and ambition to do the best I could and make my family proud. I could not have gone this far without my family. They are the reason I push myself to the limit every day, to make them proud and to make myself proud. I want to be able to say, “I did that even when I felt like giving up.” I did that.

I have a lot of people in my life that I’m grateful for, especially my mom. She is the reason I push myself to be the best that I can. All the motivation people have given me has gotten me where I am today. This is mostly because I always thought motivation was a way to put pressure on myself. Now, instead of acting out negatively, I use that acquired motivation and put it to use. The motivation is locked in me and will always be there, moving forward.

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