Meet Me Narrative

My mother has always had major health issues, going in and out of hospitals all the time, but she wouldn't go down without a fight, and luckily, we still have her here with us. Any mother would want the best for her children, so one day my mom dropped everything in Reynosa and decided to move here, to the United States, in order to give us more opportunities and a real chance to succeed. Therefore, my parents have taught me to be the responsible, strong, and hard working person I am today.

Nevertheless, it was challenging for a single mother to raise three kids without financial and emotional support. At that time my mother was a housekeeper, and she and my father divorced when I was six-years old. She is a tenacious women. Moreover, she is supportive, hardworking and possesses a magnificent sense of humor. While I was in school, my mother worked long hours and by the time I arrived home she barely had energy to cook dinner, or check out my academic progress. However, even when she was mentally and physically exhausted, she always cooked for me and my

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

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

Being born in Jackson, TN life was different for me than those that grew up in the integrated societies in California or the yanks up north. My momma was always having me help around the house and cook, clean, and tend after my five younger siblings. My daddy ran a small farm that provided for our family. It wasn’t a lavish life by any means but we got by and had each other. Our family mainly grew corn on our farm but we had a couple of cows and chickens to keep the family fed throughout the year. Being the oldest child and a girl I mostly focused on helping momma around the house when I was at home, but my parents instilled a great faith in all of us children

Cathy Gernack, also known as my mom, is my hero because she satisfies many of the heroic qualities we discussed in class. She is brave, giving, and determined on a daily basis. She is currently employed as an Intensive Care Neonatal Nurse at Kaiser Permanente here in San Leandro. She was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. After she graduated from High School, she attended the University of Alberta and received her bachelor’s degree. In 1999, she was given an offer to move to Hawaii where she would be working at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in Honolulu. She graciously accepted the offer and brought my dad along with her as they started a new life in another country. On August, 26th 2000, I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2002, my mom, my dad, and I moved to Boise, Idaho where my little brother was born. When I was four, we all moved here to San Leandro and have lived here ever since.

Growing up in a small town is something many people don’t have the opportunity to experience. On the other hand, some people who do get this chance don’t really think of it as being an “opportunity” or anything special. I would have to disagree; being raised in Caddo Mills, Texas has been such a blessing and has impacted me more than anything else in my life. It’s in this town that I grew up with my peers like a family. It’s here that I met the greatest circle of friends. It’s here that I had the opportunity to meet some of the best educators and receive an awesome education. Most importantly, it’s here that I made the decision to follow Christ. I’m extremely grateful that Caddo Mills is the place God lead my parents to raise my sister and me.

My mom, Rachel is one of the people I look up to the most in life because she has taught me that no matter what the issue in front of you is, you can always get through it. She was born in Wrangell, Alaska but grew up in Sedro-Woolley. This is where she ended up having a baby at eighteen years old. She had struggled with drug abuse ever since her dad died at fifteen, so she left and didn't come back until she had control over her addiction. This took several years, but by the time she came back, she had a renewed sense of life. Rachel has a mission that she would not give up on anyone like everyone had given up on her. She has since

"I'm going to pin him in 10 seconds, I'm going to pin him in 10 seconds," was ringing through my head, and that's also exactly what I told there coach. A little before there match he approached me and asked what weight I was wrestling I answered and the told him, "I don't care who I'm facing I'm going to pin him or her in 10 seconds." It was the last match of the year against our rivals and the hype of the match was intense. It made people nervous just thinking about it. I wanted to get the fastest pin for the school. I remembered the saying, "You can do anything you put your mind to," and that exactly what I did. It was at the brand new West York gym and we were the first sporting event to be held there. All over social media there was trash talk but the mat is the only place you can own your words. I knew I wasn't going to let anything or anyone stand in my way.

“Petlon get in there,”Coach said. At first I was like what does he mean. I was confused because at the time Eli was a better center. I figured I should hustle out there and give it my best try, so that’s what I did.

My grandmother’s parents immigrated to Johnstown, Pennsylvania from a small town in Poland close to Warsaw. As a young child she spoke two languages Polish at home and English when she went to school or with friends. Life started out very difficult and never really got any easier.. Her life continued to get worse when she lost her husband in a mining accident and her eldest son to a car accident. My grandma used to tell me the stories of their deaths, and how it taught her how strong she really is. She turned the hardships in her life into something beautiful, something joyous, and something sentimental. These moments shaped her into who she is, but they do not define her. These moments that she shares allow me to move on and find something joyful about every situation even if they are not be ideal. When my grandfather passed away my grandmother gave me the strength to look on the brighter side of the situation instead of the sad side.

She made a courageous decision to attend Central Piedmont Community College late in her life and obtain her GED to gain a career that might sustain her and her children. I was in high school during that time and remember helping her with homework. My mom was a single parent and struggled financially. She entered the nursing program, but had a heart attack and walked away with her Nursing Assistant Certification. While working three jobs, she paid the bills and made sure my younger brother and I had something to eat. Later, she worked her way up to Activities Director at Carmel Hills Retirement Center located in Charlotte, NC. My brother and I were so proud of her. She passed away in 2006 from pancreatic cancer, however the impact of seeing her attend college, complete her studies, and further her education still astounds

At this meet, instead of a gun, they fire a cannon. The cannon fired and we were off. I felt super slow this meet. I was mad I thought I was going to get a worse time than Bob Schul again. I ran through the race passing people, letting the energy from the crowd keep me going because hearing someone yell for me when I’m running I feel so much better. Eventually I got down this small hill and I saw the finish line about 200 meters ahead. The clock was in the 17’s and I got really excited because for me, this was really good. I was sprinting as fast as my legs could go. I thought I was going to fall on my face because I couldn’t control my legs anymore. I ended up with a time of 18:08. A PR by a minute and a half, that would stand most of the season. No matter how slow I was, and how much my speed was made fun of at practice, I still got high-fives and congratulations after a meet. The rest of the meet was fun because we all hung out, waiting for the award and eating the really good buttered parmesan pasta. Greenville was not death, it was the best.

From an early age I learned that our very best is often brought to action when we willingly take on challenges and persevere with grace through trying times. As a widowed, single mother, my mom strove for excellence in every area of her life in order to put food on the table for her children. She studied to be a nurse, quickly rose in to administration, became the first in our family to obtain a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), and earned a seat as a director for an international healthcare organization. Her determination and positive spirit served as a great example and sparked a passionate drive in my life to help others while striving for greatness.

My mom has gone through a lot to get where she is today. I will begin by telling you a little bit about my mom’s background. My mom grew up outside of George with her parents, Harris and Bev Kaster, and her three siblings, Erik, Brad, and Kristy. She attended George High School when they were still Blue Jays. My mom was involved in a lot of different activities. She was in the play, large group and individual speech, a cheerleader, played the drums in band, was in student council, secretary of her class, REC club, band, and jazz band. In her free time she hung out with friends and her sister. She had a few jobs growing up also. She babysat a lot, worked at the library, and the dentist office. My mother also helped teach bible school, catechism, and attended youth group at Hope Reformed Church.