Believing That You Can Believing That You Can
Back then I was pretty lazy and would usually only do the
minimum requirements to get by. I didn’t really think
having your high school diploma was necessary. I had
finally gotten a job with the help of my dad. The hours were
long and the tasks were tedious. Then one night as I was
working I couldn’t help but start thinking about what my
parents must have gone through when they first moved here
from Mexico. They didn’t have any of the opportunities that
I had growing up and probably had even more dreadful jobs
then what I had. Yet, they never gave up. I thought of all the
long hours they must’ve spent working to give my brother
and I a better life growing up.
I couldn’t help but feel ashamed for nearly throwing
away everything my parents worked so hard to give me. I
felt like I let them down. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe I
could still do something more with my life. It wasn’t long
before I’d decided that I needed to have a talk with my
parents. I told them that I didn’t want to do this for the rest
of my life. I wanted to move on to bigger and better things.
I wanted to get my GED and then go to college right after.
They were speechless. I could see how happy and proud
they were of me. I realized that they’d never given up on
me. No matter what I did in the future they would always be
there to support me. Now it was my turn to work hard. It’s
time to show them that everything they went through for me
was not in vain. I’ll become someone that they can truly be
proud of. No matter what I face in the future I know I will
get through it because I will always have the unwavering
support of my parents and that alone is enough for me to
tackle anything head on.
Osbaldo Garcia is a student at Lehigh Senior high school.
Becoming a Mom
Thinking of a turning point in my life is easy: it is
becoming a mom. Becoming a mom is the best! You don’t
ask to become a single mom, but that is how life turns out
for so many. Love is unconditional, that’s what being a
mom is all about. When the doctor told me I was having
twins, I did three things at once: I cried a lot, I wondered