My greatest influences are my parents and my brother. My brother suffered from Guillain- Barre Syndrome when he was eight. He lived in the hospital on an artificial ventilation for 97 days and later he had to continue physical therapy for at least ten years as he was completely paralyzed. My parents and my brother devoted their few years completely for his treatment. Today, my brother is a successful engineer working in the bay area. I learned that with dedication, determination and diligence we can achieve our dream in life…
On Saturday, I have attended a Pow Wow that was happening at the California State University of Long Beach. I knew what kind of event it was because this was my second time attending one. At the first Pow Wow, I was able to take the opportunity to volunteer for them and helped them out with the resting area for the dancers and other miscellaneous tasks. I also had the chance to walk around and explore what was provided and stayed at the event until the end. It has been over two years since I had gone to the first Pow Wow so I was excited to see once again the beauty and the uniqueness of the Native Americans and their culture.…
Pow! Right smack in my forehead crushing my skull. The metal baseball bat knocked in my skull. It was a warm sunny day in the middle of the summer. Joey, my brother, was hitting tennis balls over my house. Little 10 year old me was playing in the yard and my brother purposely pushed me far away so he wouldn’t hit me. Oh how I was a stupid little kid. I was intrigued by what he was doing so I started wandering over to like how not knowing little kids do. As I approached my brother he was so focused on himself that he did not see me. When I finally reached him he had just set up to hit another ball. He hits the ball, but on his back rotation, the bat makes contact with my head. I fell hard on the pavement. Before I went unconscious I heard my…
I came to the United States from Colombia when I was just 3 years old. I was brought into the country of bright opportunities because like every other parent, my mother and father wanted what was best for me. My mother had to give up her dream job in Colombia, which was being an accountant for an essentially important company, in order to facilitate my well-being and open up the doors for my future. As the years progressed, I began to acquire both languages, English and Spanish, but there was a point where I became tongue tied and had to assist in speech therapy. My parents would talk to me in Spanish at home but in school all I would hear was English, my mind was extremely confused to the point that I made my own language by using both tongues in one sentence.…
My political viewpoint has changed dramatically since I was first introduced to politics. I come from a democratic family, where it is strongly believed that it is the government’s responsibility to care for all people and that the government knows what is best for all people. Every voting season, my parents vote for a democratic president and explain to me the reasoning behind their decision. It was not until I was in the tenth grade that I realized that I did not hold the same political beliefs as my parents. After taking several political quizzes and extensively researching the bevy of political parties, I now know that I am an independent. What is an independent? An independent is an individual politician not affiliated to any political…
When you are someone’s support system you take on multiple roles that indirectly deteriorate your self preservation. Being a listener or a shoulder to cry on, requires sacrifices that, in the moment, you do not even recognize as imposing. Voluntarily and willingly being there for someone begins with the unwavering doubt that you and your own problems cannot and will not prevail over your person’s immediate crisis. Depending on the duration of your duty, a somewhat selfish thought of inconvenience is bound to surface. But, that wave of retraction is almost always combatted by a riptide of dedication and loyalty that brings you back to sea, where all you can do is tread. In turn, the suppression of self regarding issues regularly comes with a layer of obligation and a sting of bitterness.…
Have you ever wondered where you would be if you would have chosen another path? Have you ever wondered how that choice could have changed your life if you would have made it? Often I look back and think about my past and look at the places I have been and the things I have done. Some things I’m not proud of. Some of those things bring back vague memories. Whether they are good or bad they still come back to me. Everything we do is based upon choices. After we make those choices there comes consequences. We can never decide our consequences, they just come.…
“You are order to active duty as a member of your reserve component unit for the period indicated unless sooner released or unless extended. Proceed from your current location in sufficient time to report by the date specified. You enter active duty upon reporting to unit home station”. These were the words telling me that I was going to Iraq, to fight and destroy the enemies of the United States of America and face one of my biggest challenges yet. Soon after I received my orders in the mail I had a dilemma, what’s going to happen when I tell my mother and the rest of my family? Have I been taking my family and friends for granted, now that I have this situation in front of me I realize that maybe I should have tried…
The bloody plane was shot down…I was sleeping dreaming about a concoction of fish and chips and my home before the war. I lived on a farm, and I had my own horse…I miss him. My dad taught me how to ride when I was four; riding would provide me relief from school and farming. Anyways, I then I awoke to a storm of fire. The plane was literally sliced in two. I think the beastly enemy shot us down. Even though they shot us clean out of the sky, I wish to thank them and show some British manners to them because this island is beautiful. It has fruit, and the sights are more beautiful than anything back home. There are even pigs on the island that we could eat. Sadly, I thought myself alone until a booming noise thundered through the jungle. I was scared; I thought it was an earthquake, although I have never experienced one before.…
Growing up in a diverse city, the culture around me has always been different. Every person that I see always has a different type of belief than me. I’m a 17 year old Muslim student who lives in Southeast Texas. My father is from the Middle East, and my mother is from Western Europe. My parents migrated as refugees from Croatia to Houston in 1995 due to the ongoing war in Yugoslavia. After they’ve migrated they’ve lived in peace here ever since. However that has changed a lot since 9/11, one of the biggest terrorist attacks in history to ever happen in the United States. Now everyone who originates from the Middle East has been looked at as an abomination, and how we're judged for everything that we believe in. It just happens to be that I was born in the time of all of this monstrosity.…
I grew up in Vietnam and accepted Vietnam education during my childhood. It was July 19, 2011 when my parents had the opportunity to come to America as immigrants. I have great appreciation for my grandparents and parents because they gave up everything to come to America. They did this to give their children a better life and education. I still remember the day that I left my country; it was a beautiful memory that I won’t ever forget. The plane took off at 5:00 am, so we had to arrive at the airport at 3:00 am. All of my family was there with us, we were hugging and crying. It took all my strength and courage to keep from crying that day; I had to control my feelings. I couldn’t cry because if I cried it would’ve been too hard to say goodbye. Finally, I couldn’t control my tears; they raced down…
After I returned home from Iraq nothing was the same. Everything became artificial. The events and activities I once found pleasure in become generic and lacked the zest I once sought after. My days quickly transformed into hour after hour of depression, survivors guilt, and anger. I was tangled in a downward spiral of self-loathing obsessing over intrusive thoughts that played me like a puppet.…
The British Medical Journal reported that veterans do not experience trauma or disabling symptoms until they return from the war (Gabriel & Neal, 2002). Friedman said PTSD symptoms appear when they return home trying to readjust to civilian life. When a person is on active duty in the military, if one does not have a physical injury then psychological symptoms are seen as a weakness and being a…
In 2013 I went to Israel with my family, cousins and some of the people who belong to our Temple to watch my cousin become bat mitzvahed in the middle of a dessert. It was the most wonderful experience that I had ever had and I will never forget about it. I was 11 years old at the time when I went.…
Most teenagers do not have a clue about what they want to be when they grow up. Most young adults also do not know where their path is in life. Even some full-blown adults are still trying to figure out their purpose. I was lucky. I knew exactly where I belonged from about the time I was seven up until now, at the decently young age of nineteen. I do not see my path changing anytime soon; in fact, I know it will never change. But, I did not just wake up one day as a child and know what my path was, while that would be impressive. Defining moments in one’s life defines who they are. There were lots of things I experienced in my life that made me realize my purpose, my absolute passion. I had four of these defining moments in my short span of…