I Am A U.s. Born Citizen

All I wanted was moments with my mom when I was nine; I did not get it. What about age ten, eleven, and twelve? My whole childhood was snatched out from under me, and I had to grow up way to fast. Don’t worry, I did not blame you. I blamed myself until I was fifteen. It was my fault my mother tried to drown my sisters and me. I saw signs and clues. I could tell she was not acting herself, but I said nothing. I didn’t go and ask another grownup for help. I put my sisters’ lives in danger, because I didn’t protect them.

Five days had passed this time since anyone had heard from my mother. I remember praying to God to protect her from harm and for me to find her. The next day she showed up, but not in the way we had hoped. One morning as I was getting ready for school my sophomore year in high school, my phone rang to the voice of my stepfather. My stepfather had told me he heard a call come over the dispatch scanner at his work and my mother’s name was mentioned. The sheriff had informed my stepfather that my mother had been involved in an accident. My stepfather asked me to go to the emergency room and see what condition my mother was in because he lived a half hour away from the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital I found my mother cut out of her clothes, covered in her own urine, massive amounts of blood all over her body, and lying lifeless on life support on the table. At this point, no one knew whether my mother would be okay. My mother had bleeding on the brain as well as a tear in her shoulder, a shattered face, and a chest tube draining fluid from her lung which had collapsed. All I could do was pray! My mother’s life was in God’s hands now. Three days later she woke

Mothers are so often overlooked, children do not always realize it but mothers sacrifice a lot in order to make their kids happy and live a

I grew up watching my mother strive to give me a better life and become a better person. Amongst great difficulty, she decided to finish school and attend university. Her hard work and determination have marked and defined my life. Every day she had to work, then go to university and later take care of me. She excelled in every aspect of her life, teaching me that the impossible is overcome through hard work and

I am a U.S. born citizen. My parents moved to the United States in 1984 without knowing anything about this country. Looking for a fresh start and new opportunities, my parents settled in Houston. With hardly knowing any English, my parents knew this was the place to make dreams become a reality. Luckily, I had older siblings to look up to whenever I needed help. Like Lahiri, I was trapped in between two different cultures while I was growing up. At home, I only spoke Spanish, but in school it was English. My habits and customs were different than others. Life as an immigrant’s offspring can be very difficult. As I grew older, I allowed myself to open my eyes and see the beauty of being an American from Hispanic descent.

Especially because I don't want you to end up like me.” The conversation is still fresh in my memory and tears form in the corner of my eyes when I think about it. My mother was aware that her life was no walk in the park and I think that's what hurt me the most. I would never want my children to see me in such a state that I've seen my mother in. At the same time I would want her to see that hard work truly pays off. A miracle is just another word for the result of hard work. Some people are born with silver spoons in their mouth and I've seen how meaningless their lives turn out to be. My mother proved to me that your struggles make you stronger and define who you are. Struggling is almost impossible to avoid and rather than sulking about it, I'd rather use it to make me a stronger person, like my mom

I am a Pakistan-born United States resident. I lived in Pakistan until 2009 and worked as an elementary, middle and high school music and fine arts teacher as well as an actor, dancer and singer. I had no opportunity to be formally trained in acting and singing. I learned to sing, dance and act from private tutors. However, I 've always desired to be trained at a world-class acting school.

That day I realized I wasn’t as special as I thought I was. I was an accident, a big mistake. I soon realized my mom never graduated from High School and that she could be sent back to Mexico at any moment. My dad, on the other hand, graduated from high school and after I was born he got his associates degree in some type of engineering. My dad’s degree was my families advantage. Even with his degree, my mom is still my idol. She is the toughest person I know. She worked two 8 hour shifts when my dad went to school, she never cared what might happen to her as long as my siblings and I were happy. She walks with honor and pride even when people tried to bring her down, and trust me they tried. They used me as the trigger. I am the reason she never made it to

My mom has been through a lot with me she got me healthy even if she was sick during the time I was a baby, She has helped me with my reading and writing disability and has pushed me to do my best. She is a strong confident woman that is loving she loves to attend to people and has a great smile. She has shown me that even if times are hard you have to bring your head up and raise it high. I maybe a mama’s boy but my mom is one of my greatest role models and people I admire.

Finally, I am so proud of my mom because is the best person that I have been meeting. She is a good example for me, to continue my live and achieve my

My excuse to everything is “cause I’m Mexican”. I’m not Mexican by citizenship, but by birth. I was born in Berrien Center, Michigan; On Tuesday, January twenty sixth, nineteen ninety nine. My parents’ names are Diana Vasquez Valencia and Alberto Ruiz Hernandez. They raised me with the Mexican culture that I have learned and loved since I was a little girl. So when I say “it’s cause I’m Mexican”, It’s because I didn’t grow up watching John Wayne movies or listening to Johnny Cash. I grew up watching Novelas and listening to Selena. I was raised differently from how everyone else was raised. In the United States, I am strange. In Mexico, I am average. I lived in Michigan until I was about three years old. We moved to Glencoe Minnesota and lived in a trailer home. When I was four I was introduced to the social setting and attended a headstart. It was then, that I realized, I didn’t know how to socialize. I didn’t know what was okay to do and what wasn’t. I was teased and picked on, even by the teachers. About the time when it was my fifth birthday I found out my mom was pregnant with my sister Samantha. My parents decided to move to a bigger house to make room for our growing family, and somehow we arrived in Nicollet. I remember the first time I saw my new home; we were looking at it for the first time, to see if we wanted to buy it. The house was home to a older lady and her many, many cats. It was very strange to see so many animals in one place, since my family never had

I am a white, natural-born citizen of the United States, but my family is made up of a mix of immigrants. My paternal grandmother immigrated to the United States from Sao Miguel, Portugal. My paternal grandfather’s ancestors immigrated from England and Scotland to Canada. Some of my mother’s paternal ancestors immigrated from Spain to France before immigrating to Canada, and others were Aboriginal Canadians. Three out of my four grandparents have roots in Quebec, Canada. French Canadian is not a nationality that I identify with, but it is the culture that has impacted my life the most, outside of American culture.

It took me twenty-one years to acknowledge what a remarkable impact my mother has been on my life. The first time I hold my first baby, I felt like what I should do with this baby when she cry for no reason. I just tried to remember what my mother used to do with her grandchildren. Since that I can tell I’m repeating the history. I treat my children like how my mother did with me and my siblings.

Moreover, my mother listened to all my fears and nightmares with patience which can only be admired. She covered my heart and soul with caring love.  Her eyes were so soft, wandering, and full of comprehension when they focused on other people. My

At times, I would say to myself that my mom isn’t like any other women. She is someone different that is determined to do things to get us what we wanted. i'm so blessed that I have a beautiful mother that always cares for me. my mom would do anything for her kids to make them happy. I really like to thank my mother for showing me what a truly hard working women is.