Everything that my sister has written here is all very true, but there remains the perspective in which I live through. Yes the financial situation of my family is dire compared to many other students, but there was a reason why my voice is not completely heard. For one is that while I am nineteen years old heading out to college, I believe that, to my family, I still remain the child of the family. Everything that I hear from this hurts me in a way that I wish I could do something about it. My sole purpose of going to college is to show to my family that I am not a child anymore and I, too, am capable of bringing pride to my family. Yes, my behaviors show otherwise being fairly secretive to how I feel but this my own way of describing how I feel about this. I am scared. I know what I am doing is only going to put my family in a deeper financial hole and it's a major risk. I have seen my mother come home after days of 16 hour shifts and it hurts so much because I know what they are doing is because of me. They are putting a huge risk into putting me into a education that no one has achieved but Kathryn herself. I know that on my shoulders is the weight of my family hopes and that I, too, am responsible for this. I have searched ways to find money, even resorting to the ROTC and serving 8 years on service. Times are going to be extremely frightening. But even through this constant fear, I must say that I am truly blessed to have a family that will do anything for each other. If it were not for my mom, dad, and my sisters, especially Kathryn, pushing me (even when I don't like it) I believe I would have just been another dropout. They have pushed me so hard and the only thing I know I can do its prove that it was not for nothing. I wish to make further comments but I feel that I am only repeating myself. I just hope you understand I, like my sister, am striving hard to push the boundaries of my education and preserve the pride that me and my sister share with other first-generation students all over the country.
- Luis Melendez
- Luis Melendez