My Reflection On Coming To America

Now that I reflect on it, coming to America (U.S.) as an infant has allowed me to take advantage of opportunities such as accessing a higher education that otherwise would’ve been impossible if I had stayed in Mexico, even if it did come with struggles financially and socially. From ages 1-3, I grew up in my grandparents’ house, where we lived a cramped lifestyle due to two other uncles and aunts living there as well. It was quite a tight fit because we all had to live in a one-floor house with only two bedrooms, but we were very family-oriented, so we didn’t mind.

At the age of four, I moved to Hoffman Estates without my extended family which resulted in me feeling ostracized by my peers and had difficulty making friends. Who wanted to be friends with the foreigner who struggled to pronounce her r’s? Changing schools to a dual-language program in another elementary school encouraged me to familiarize myself with spanish as well as dive into the english language with much more ease.

My eldest brother, Abe, was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder in 2009. As our family dynamics shifted and became centered around him, my extended family began to detach and distance themselves from us. I couldn’t talk to my mother about the struggles I faced in school or in the neighborhood. My brother’s crippling disorder limited his abilities to enjoy life, since he was experiencing hallucinations and delusions frequently. It was during this time, that I realized I had to become self-independent for my