My American Creed

My American creed is being able to recognize the struggles that my ancestors have had to endure to be able to bring me to the opportunities that I have today.

Both of my maternal grandparents were born and raised in Mexico. When they realized that they wanted more opportunity and a better life and to get out of the impoverished life that they had been in, they decided to immigrate to the US. It took a lot of hard work and patience for them to be able to get their visas to make it into the US. Once they did, they then crossed the border and settled in Dallas. They decided that they wanted to start a family not soon after, despite not having much money. Without them making the decision to immigrate to the US, I would not be here today.

The struggles that my mother had to endure growing up give me appreciation for how easy I have it compared to her. Ever since she was little, she never had an established home. There were times when my grandpa could make the money to have them live somewhere decent, and others, they had to live in a motel until they could get their feet back off the ground. He had to work extremely hard, in low employment positions because of the racial injustice that had been more prevalent in that times period. They got groceries roughly once a month, paid by food stamps, and my grandma had to make sure they had enough in order to feed a house of six people. Most of the schools they attended had gang-activity. Through all of the struggle of having to live this way, my grandparents raised their kids in a way that they taught their kids to stay away from all the drugs and gangs that were very prevalent in their area. This, I believe, was pivotal in allowing them to be as successful as they could and to find a way out of that life as they got older. As it turns out, all four of their children ended up growing up to make it up to the middle class lifestyle.

My dad was raised in middle class suburbs all of his childhood. His family had had a long history of military service, so once he graduated high school, he planned on enlisting in the marines to be a pilot. He did his first tour and then ended up meeting my mom. After a couple years of dating, that was when they decided to get married and start a family. Right after having my brother in 2003, he was given orders to Iraq. While he was there, he saw some horrific things, and was in a dangerous position. It’s so important to keep in mind that survivors of war protect our country’s freedoms with their physical and MENTAL sacrifices. I am very proud that my dad served in the military because even though many other people serve, his choice to do so is also very important and contributes to the protection of mine and the entire country’s freedoms.