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Birth
I was the first born in my family making me the oldest out of 4 children. This greatly influenced my life as I was born in a Hispanic household. I felt I had great responsibility to take care of my younger siblings and my parents in the future. Being the oldest has caused me to have an immense amount of pressure and high expectations from my parents. -
Immigrated to the United States
This was a critical event in my life as it shaped my future. My parents decided to immigrate to the U.S. when I was 4 years old in order to have better opportunities. This was a great change for me as I did not speak the language and moved away from my family. In Hispanic culture family is very close and we gather frequently as a family. With us being away we missed out on gatherings and celebrations as we were not able to see our family as often. -
Met my best friend
This event was important in my life as I finally felt that I had adjusted to living in a different country. I had made a friend and she eventually became my best friend. This was the first time I felt like I had someone to talk to and felt less lonely since moving and starting school in the U.S. -
First Time Attending Church
This was a defining event in my life as this greatly influenced my beliefs and view on life. My family was Christian and this was the first time we attended church as a family. Attending church at such a young age helped me define who I was as a person and influenced my behavior throughout my life. -
Graduated High School
Graduating high school was an important event in my life as neither of my parents had graduated from high school. It was a great accomplishment for me as I graduated in the top 10 percent of my class. Graduating from high school pushed me to continue my education and attend college. -
Started College
In the Fall of 2011 I started my first semester of college. For my family and myself this was a big deal as I was a first generation college student. I felt an immense amount of pressure to make myself and my parents proud. -
First Job
In March of 2013 I got my first job working at a store in the local mall. This was big thing for me as I was able to have some extra cash and could afford to live on my own. I finally felt independent and accomplished. -
Parents Divorced
This event in my life became important as I had to take the role of the oldest sibling and provide support to both of my parents. My parents divorced in the year 2015. This year I decided to move in with my mother to help her with bills and other expenses. It was a difficult time for me as I had to put my goals on hold in order to help my mother and siblings during this time. -
Death of Grandmother
My grandmother unexpectedly passed in 2016. This was incredibly tough on me and my family as in Hispanic culture the grandmother is the support of the family. This caused the family to grow apart over the years. This event changed how our family celebrated special holidays and events as we no longer gathered due to my grandmother no longer being with us. The family became distant and we longer gather as we once used to. -
Miscarriage
This event in my life was important as it taught me a lot of things and brought me closer to God. I suffered a miscarriage and was in an extreme amount of pain, physically and emotionally. It was a tough time in my life but this event helped me grow my faith and I learned to accept things as they happen. -
Graduated College
In May of 2020 I graduated with my bachelors degree. It took me a lot longer than usual to finish this degree due to my struggle with anxiety, financial problems as well as the death of my grandmother. Graduating was a big accomplishment for me as I was determined to graduate despite the bumpy road. -
First Professional Job
After college graduation I was able to obtain my first job in a field related to my degree. It was exciting as this marked the start of my career. I was working with refugees which hit to close home and most of them are seeking better opportunities in the U.S. Working with refugees has greatly impacted my life and has given me a different perspective as my parents also immigrated from their home country to seek better opportunities for themselves and their children.