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Personal Narrative: My Life As An Immigrant

Decent Essays

One person can have the power to change a community’s perspective or sharpen it. As a Latina and an immigrant, my family’s experience has taught me about the process of entering the United States and the complications that follow. Still, my comprehension of social issues developed further the day I met my brother’s friend and classmate, who followed my brother home, unannounced, on the bus. I will call him Eric, my brother’s friend and his family are Salvadorian undocumented immigrants who seek political asylum. Eric’s family consists of a younger and an older sibling, and his mother. The only source of income is what his mother, who does not speak English very well, makes. Lately, this is what keeps me up at night. Thoughts of this child and his family consume my mind while I brainstorm ways of helping. At a young age when their biggest concerns …show more content…

It was my mother who discovered that Eric did not know how to add or subtract, despite being in 3rd grade. He had been enrolled and withdrawn from four schools in just his third grade year, and ended up in my brother’s classroom. My mother became the volunteer who helped Eric with his school work when she found out he wasn’t receiving any help, causing me to question the level of support found in our community. The truth of the matter is that Eric is not the only child that needs help in and beyond my brother’s classroom. Eric is a quick and competitive learner with much potential; he is now on the speed skate team and is improving his swimming skills, thanks to my mother’s efforts. Because of my brother’s friend, my desire to help people has progressed to the point in which I have decided to take action myself by creating a group at school to volunteer to tutor English Language Learners at the elementary schools in our

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