I'm about twelve years old, and it's our third year living in America. We've moved for the third time since we came here, this time to a small town in Maryland. We didn't have a place to stay, so we had to sleep in our family friend's basement. My parents were discussing money, and my sister and I were watching. In hushed voices, they talked about how worried they were: "We only have $500 left!" "I know, but we can figure this out." It was in that moment that I realized that when I grow up, I don't want to be in situations like this. One door that leads to a better life for me and my family was education. In that moment, I remember thinking that I will study hard and do my best in school so that I can get into a good college and start a great career. I started improving my writing skills so that I could keep up with the rest of the students in my class. But I wanted to do this for my parents--I still do. They have sacrificed so much for me, it's about time I help them.
I'm in Colorado now, about seventeen years old. Close to graduating. I'd lost my confidence a while back when I took an A.P. American Literature class and barely made it out with a C-. I thought I could handle the extra work but the teacher never told me what I did wrong and I couldn't fix my mistakes! I was taking another A.P. class despite this experience, because damn it no one beats me down! This time it was British Literature, and the teacher for that class was much better. I remember one day after class, she came up to my desk and said "Mudita, you're really killing it in the discussions! Good job!" And I lost my mind! Me? I'm doing a good job? WOO!!! I was so happy that day. I started getting better grades on my essays and homework, I felt like I was improving.
I'm twenty years old, sitting in my essay writing class at CSU, watching the teacher hand back our first essay of the class. I was expecting a bad result because to be honest I was used to them at that point. My high school teachers thought I needed a lot of work on my essays, and always gave me grades like Cs or C-s. So when the teacher handed me my paper, and it had a B+ on it, I was so happy! After that, I started improving my essay writing skills, and I started getting better and better at it. I'm still learning today, but my confidence in myself has grown since I was in high school.
I'm in Colorado now, about seventeen years old. Close to graduating. I'd lost my confidence a while back when I took an A.P. American Literature class and barely made it out with a C-. I thought I could handle the extra work but the teacher never told me what I did wrong and I couldn't fix my mistakes! I was taking another A.P. class despite this experience, because damn it no one beats me down! This time it was British Literature, and the teacher for that class was much better. I remember one day after class, she came up to my desk and said "Mudita, you're really killing it in the discussions! Good job!" And I lost my mind! Me? I'm doing a good job? WOO!!! I was so happy that day. I started getting better grades on my essays and homework, I felt like I was improving.
I'm twenty years old, sitting in my essay writing class at CSU, watching the teacher hand back our first essay of the class. I was expecting a bad result because to be honest I was used to them at that point. My high school teachers thought I needed a lot of work on my essays, and always gave me grades like Cs or C-s. So when the teacher handed me my paper, and it had a B+ on it, I was so happy! After that, I started improving my essay writing skills, and I started getting better and better at it. I'm still learning today, but my confidence in myself has grown since I was in high school.
Mudita, I'm in awe of your determination to honor your parents' sacrifices (this moment is so beautifully told; you put me there). I'm also smiling at your stubbornness in the face of adversity. Look! You're an English Major and you want to be a teacher! I'm so glad you do.
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