Santa Cruz: An Intertextual Analysis

As a child I faced many difficulties that most children at my age would never face, but in order to understand my story you must first understand my background. I was born in Mexico City, Mexico at the age of four my mom made an incredibly important decision that wouldn’t only affect her, but also me as her son. My mom, Rosalia, made the decision to move out of her country that she had grown up in, and the country that I had begun my life in, in order to move to the United States so that her son could not only be with his mother, but also his father. At that age I didn’t think much of it, but today I sit here and respect the decision that my mom made at that time, and appreciate the amount of courage and strength that it took my mother to make

As a first-generation Latina in college, I could not be where I am without the help of multiple individuals. My parent’s sacrificed so much coming into this country. They left behind their family, their home, in order to one day provide a better future for me. Initially, my parents planned on staying in America for five years then they would go back to Ecuador. However plans changed once my mom became pregnant with me. The decision to stay in order to give me the best future possible greatly affected both my parents. They suffer greatly and lament leaving their family everyday. Only my mom has the slight possibly of returning to her home country but unfortunately, the only thing waiting her is her mother’s grave.

I have made a schedule on what days I would be writing my papers for my other 3 classes. I also broke down the chapters I will be studying on different days for my algebra class. I don’t think it will be to hard because in high school I had to take 6 exams for all my classes. This year all I have to take is one physical in class exam. So this whole process will be different for me. To this day I still appreciate how prepared I came into college, in large parts thanks to my high school. If all goes well, I can finish my first semester with all A’s. Although the semester went by fast, there were days were it went by really slow. I’ve learned a lot in my first semester. Some things didn’t go as expected for me, but in the end it’s a lesson leaned. Lastly, next semester I will be having a new roommate. One of my roommates is transferring so I am assuming that they would place another girl in our room. I’m anxious to see who it is and how everything turns out. Hopefully everything works out because have good roommates is essential for a good college experience, in my opinion. Anyways these next 2 weeks I will be reviewing all my notes and writing all my papers. I know what the reward is for me if I everything goes well. I must finish the semester

I come from a low-income family with a household of eight people. I have my dad, my six siblings, and my mother passed away a few years ago. As a first-generation college student I felt so many emotions. I came from a high school that didn’t prepare me for college courses and that became a problem. What made it worse was that my dad didn’t go to college, so I couldn’t go to him for help. I was scared, depressed, unprepared, I was doing everything on my own. I also felt like I didn’t belong because I believed I wasn’t as smart as the other students or “rich” enough. When I first arrived at UC Davis, I was immediately intimidated. All of the other students seemed so educated and professional and I just compared myself to them without even getting to know them. Let me tell you, getting here wasn’t easy and I know it wasn’t easy for you either, so feel accomplished. You made it! Now that you’re in UC Davis, you will be expected to work hard. Times may get rough, but just remember that help is out there. Take advantage and don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek help.

Transferring to California State University, Sacramento was the most optimal decision that I have made recently this year and so far, it has been an enjoyable yet compelling one because of the helpful environment around me. Compared to the other two colleges I attended in the past in Stockton, California, I believe Sacramento State University has better resources and opportunities to grow as a student. Some of the resources I have utilized here are the Writing Center and PARC, but I plan to branch out and explore many others I have heard about. Although my major is Mechanical Engineering, I still have other classes that I am required to take in order graduate in Spring of 2020, such as English 109W for my undergraduate GWAR. Before entering English 109W, my mind was set on just completing the course and getting a good enough grade to move on to my Writing Intensive course, the last English class I would take in college. I thought that my writing skills were above

I was determined more than ever to finish out my fifth semester strong at McLennan Community College and transfer to my dream school. I was enrolled in a few advanced courses and another math course, however, I was not going to give up. Overcoming chemistry and trigonometry in the previous semesters, being able to graduate from McLennan Community College, and wanting to transfer to Texas Woman’s University, was more than enough motivation for me to want to succeed in every class that semester. I studied hard and gave my all to ensure that I would be able to do just that; and on December 10th, 2016, I graduated from McLennan Community College with an Associate’s of Science Degree in General Studies. I am currently taking an additional semester at McLennan Community College so that my sister may finish her own college degree and will be transferring to Texas Woman’s University in the fall of 2017. Though my journey at McLennan Community College is almost done, my educational journey is far from over. After the completion of this semester, I plan on attending Texas Woman’s University and obtaining a degree in Family Studies with a Pre-Occupational Therapy focus. From there, I plan on applying to a Master’s of Occupational Therapy program and hope to eventually become an occupational therapist. My educational journey thus far has been a long and winding road; however, there is more still to come. The first chapter is nearly over, and I can’t wait to start my second chapter as a Texas Woman’s University

I’m truly a fortunate teenager. I didn’t doubt at all that I wanted to come to the United States of America. My initial plan was to do as much as I could during junior year and share my findings back home like an ancient explorer. The big question was, should I stay for senior year? Would you do it? Do you have the courage? Step on my shoes for one second. Step in my mother’s and grandma’s shoes too. If I decided to stay, that implied to major things. Firstly, that graduating from an U.S high school would no longer allow me to go back and study in Mexico right away. If all of a sudden, for any reason, I wanted to quit, I would have lost my time and would have lost awesome moments next to my close friends and family. At the same time, not going to college here couldn’t even be considered. I’ve known since I enrolled in elementary school that I would attend University. I’ve always known that I wanted to be a professional. This meant at least two more years here, two years away from my beloved Mexico City. In my mom’s point of view, since I’m her only child, she probably misses more that anyone. Can you completely fill in the void of a missing Child or a Family member you

At Cal Baptist, I am looking forward to the challenging subjects and rigorous schedule I will be taking. I’m a good student - always have been. My parents have supported and encouraged me to do my best in school from day one. I’ve always been told to be proud to write my name on every paper I turn in. Some subjects come easier to me than others, like language arts and science. For this reason, I challenge myself to get just as high of grades in math or history that requires a lot of writing, reading and research. I am eager to become more focused towards my major of Marine Biology. It will be awesome to finally have classes that are specific to my strengths and interests. I don’t expect this to be easy because these are my strengths; but I do

As soon as I stepped into school of junior year the only words I heard were college and SAT. After my first meeting with college guidance I began questioning my success. My average was about a 70 and that was not getting me into college. For the past two years I was focusing on clubs and commissions and now my grades began to hit me. I knew I had to get to work as soon as possible. I began by putting more time and effort into my schoolwork and putting a break on my commissions, school was my new focus. After my long and tiring 10 hour days of school I would only come back to study for more hours till I felt I knew my stuff at the top of my head. I began to appreciate learning new things and being a studios student. I began to connect to some of my classes and grew a passion for them advanced studio art, nutrition, and English. I became confident with my school work and was able to join new commissions and balance my school work with my commissions. Choices commission was my favorite,helping my peers make the right choices in their lives. It was the same in senior year I was taking Ap psychology and it wasn't the easiest class but it was something I enjoyed and I loved being challenged by some of it. After fall semester of senior year my average was an 83.286 about 15 points higher than my fall semester in freshmen year which was a 68.17. I was thrilled, I felt accomplished, this was a new peak of success for

First I would like to say I passed my classes with C’s. I feel like my PSY105 grade should have been a B due to the fact that my standing grade on the last day was a B, which was including my exam grade. I’m in the process of disputing my final grade in PSY105. I know I can do better! I said I was going to improve my GPA and I accomplish that. It might not have been much to the average person, but it means a lot to me. Please give me the opportunity to continue this journey to becoming a successful women. Spring is here and I will pass with A’s or B’s. I have no room for any errors! I’m in it to win it, mark my words spring semester is my comeback semester.

Througout my academic career, I have learned as much about myself as I have learned in school, whether it be from high school, to community college, and my journey that lead me to Arizona State University. I can honestly say as my parents did, that I wish I would’ve tried harder in high school. I scraped by taking the easiest classes possible and choosing to take the easy way out. Looking at my transcript makes me cringe, because I know that I am capable of so much more. I wish that I would’ve taken the honor classes and tried so that I would’ve been able to apply to a college other than a community college. My time at Mohave Community College was a significant improvement from my experience in high school. Not only did I graduate with near honors (3.49), I had made the Dean’s list and Honors List for three out of my four semesters, the first time this had happened since middle school. I had never felt more motivated and focused in my life. I was taking 16 credits and prospering and had a balance of work, school, and a social life. I had never felt more proud of my self in my life. As I sit here and write this paper, I question my time here at ASU as I try to plan the nex chapter of my life. I wonder where I am supposed to go and what I am supposed to do.School for the first time had become a priority, however, it began to consume my life. I would spend hours and hours on end doing homework and studying, and although there seems to be nothing wrong with this, I wouldn’t go

To begin with, over these past months I have been going through an eye opening phase of my life. My life had, and currently has since I am still in this phase of what could be described as self-awareness, a wrong base. My values and way of thinking were shallow and without purpose. Thanks to my teachers, mentors, reading and analyzing I have found the importance of a strong base, but not just in being smart or talented, in being honest, having integrity, never giving up, defining and developing the values that will help me shape my life. Washing College is part of a dying breed in universities, while most

When spring 2016 semester started I was sure to stay on top of my grades. I became familiar with the Ms. Rebecca Sturgill at the Center for Academic Success. Generally, the visits consisted of proper studying methods and what I needed to help enhance my performances in my courses. Using the Center for Academic Success is one of the higher contributions my success at Longwood University. I am certain that I will take full advantage of my academic responsibilities. I realize that I must be in control over my actions regarding my studies. I will continually seek assistance from faculty regarding my grades by attending office hours and tutoring sessions regardless of my grade. I will not let any negative outside interference contribute to my career at Longwood University from this point forward. I will also communicate with faculty about having any sort of personal difficulty. Furthermore, I will also construct a detailed schedule that will include class, work, tutoring and office hours to stay organized and prioritize. Overall, I will do everything in my power to reach and exceed the grades necessary for academic success.

My first semester of my first year at Glendon College is soon coming to an end with only two papers and one final exam left to write. As I reflect back on the semester, I recall telling myself at least once a week that I wanted to drop out of school, followed by many breakdowns, crying fits and calling defeat. The past few months, haven’t been at all easy for me, I have thought many times I wasn’t intelligent enough to be in university, I was disappointed with some of the grades I received and I was constantly engulfed in a swarm of stress. Despite all these tough times, I have had many good one’s as well, I have made new friends which are now integral to my everyday life and I have enhanced my knowledge to a new degree.

Throughout my lifetime I have listened to people reflect back on their college experiences and explain how college is supposed to be “the best experience of your life.” The summer after my senior year I use to try and imagine what my first semester was going to be like based on what I had heard people talk about in the past. After my first semester at NC State I realized that I couldn’t fully understand what college was like until I experienced it for myself. My first couple of weeks at Ohio State was rough and really tested my strength (mental and physical). I faced challenges and obstacles that I had never heard about in those past college experience conversations. All of a sudden there was no one to get me out of