The Importance Of High School Education

Coming from a Mexican immigrant family I have learned to recognize since a very young age that because of the status that my parents are placed in they cannot pursue a better future like the one I want. I have been given the opportunity to challenge myself with obtaining a higher education than just high school itself. My parents have demonstrated to me through their hard work that I have to value this opportunity unless I want to end up with low paying job. My life long dedication comes from seeing my parents make sacrifices in order for my education to continue.

My parents always wanted to give their children the life they never had. I am Mexican-American, both of my parents immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. before I was born. I have numerous relatives, including my older sister, who do not have the same opportunities I have to achieve success because they are undocumented. For them, college was only a dream that could never be attained. Being the first U.S. citizen out of my entire family affected the way I thought about life. It was expected that I would attend college because I was the only one who had access to all the resources granted to American citizens. Although, I agreed with my family, the pressure to succeed and be a role model to my younger siblings was overwhelming.

Leaving home at the age of 18, loving on my own, figuring how to become an adult, and moving out to college, there were many things being thrown at me in which I was not fully prepared for them. Moving out at 18 is normal for any high school graduate in The United States. Being a Mexican American women it was more than just the net step to life , but a huge accomplishment. Being ascribed into a poor family increased the desire to move forward. My parents did not want me to follow their footsteps into the world of low waged labor, they wanted more. Growing up all I heard from teachers and family members was to go to college. For many it’s the normal thing for a high school graduate to do. For me it was more than socialization it was the path

High school is one of the most important stages in the development of an individual. It is the first step of social and professional advancement. In high school we learn the necessary skills to succeed academically .The US, like in the rest of the world, treat high schools as an essential part of a students formation. The question is whether American high schools are able to keep up with an unwritten international standard for secondary education. High schools in the united states have three major problems. First, they tend to be places for social gathering rather than learning habitats for students. Another problem regards the low emphasis that is placed on the learning of the sciences and finally standardized testing questions how much meaningful learning takes place in the classroom. In order to optimize the solution of these problems we need to look closer into each of them.

Being a first generation college student is a heavy load to carry due to the constant reminder of having to be a good role model for my siblings. Children of immigrants are often highly expected to excel in their academics and to be involved in extracurricular activities. His/her parent immigrated to the “Land of The Free” in order to receive a better life and to give their children a place to call home. They work from one to two jobs a week just so that we can dig through the pantry, and raid the refrigerator. We sometimes take our parents for granted unknowingly, and constantly fill our heads with a question that we all seem to ask. “How do I please my parents?”, “What do I have to do to make them happy?”. As students we should all be voicing “College!”. Yes, maybe our folks’s dreams have faded away, however that should be our motivation to aim higher; to achieve our American Dream. Throughout our years of education, our very own relatives and teachers have emphasized on the importance of receiving a higher education. I have come to realize that I should not be asking myself “How do I please my parents?”. Instead, “How do I please myself?”, “What will my lifetime goals be?”, “Will it leave my parents hard work in vain?”. Obtaining a higher education will not impact their lives, but will affect yours drastically. My American Dream has always been to become an immigration lawyer that deals with international relations or to become a professor teaching my true passion for

In this essay I will argue that high school I will argue that high school students not let people around them influence them to enroll into college right after their high school career because it often leads to wasted money, long term financial issues, including stress and many other factors that come with long term effects.

Growing up as a first-generation college-bound Hispanic woman has proven to be a difficult journey. Both of my parents left their home countries at a young age and came to this country without any ideas or real opportunities on where to begin. At a young age, I have been taught that having a higher education is the key to having a successful and plentiful life. However, the journey towards achieving my dream of receiving a higher education has been filled with moments where I have challenged the stereotypes about getting pregnant and dropping out of high school, facing my grandma’s unexpected illness that affected me both academically and mentally, and the challenge of being a first generation college bound student in my family.

Growing up, my parents sacrificed endlessly to ensure I would thrive in America; they were Mexican immigrants, weren’t fluent in English, and struggled to assimilate into American culture. Their barriers wouldn’t stop them from presenting me with an opportunistic life. I didn’t have the luxury of parents that had proper schooling; all they taught me was to work hard and to not allow anything to bring me down. I was raised in a low-income neighborhood, and as my peers were entangling themselves in drugs and gangs, I focused on my schooling. I knew the importance of education and all the fruits of labor that would eventually come with it. I didn't’ fall into peer pressure, I surpassed the expectations of my family, and most importantly, did not fall into the negative statistics that correlate with Latinos.

As a first generation student, academic promise hasn’t always been a focus of mine until my high school years. Coming from a family where the only post-high school education is whatever training you receive at work, it is hard to relate when the possibility of university is so far away. Four years after high school, I have not only worked full time but also received my associates degree from my hometown community college. That is all great thanks to the family that have raised me, and taught me that hard work is the only work capable of doing. My parents never had the opportunity to attend college, so they taught me what they knew in life instead; where manners are always required, hard work is mandatory, and when finished with that work; you

I had the opportunity to be part of a program at OSU called the Oregon Migrant Leadership Institute, (or OMLI), where I meet so many wonderful people with more or less the same background as me and whom I easily connected to. For an activity, we were in groups sharing if we were planning on going to college, a lot of the other students were saying that they weren't sure if they wanted to go to college. When it was my turn to share, I didn’t know how to respond so I said “I have never had a moment in my life in where I thought ‘I’m not going to college.’ Since middle school, my teachers (and parents) planted a seed in my brain. That seed was the idea as college being the next step after high school, just like middle school comes after elementary and high school comes after middle school.” My Hispanic background had never had a negative effect on my education. Most Hispanic women don’t go to college because their uneducated parents don't encourage them to get a higher education, but my parents do because they don’t want me to work in the fields like they do. By going to college, I could break boundaries for Hispanic women, and I want to be a contribution to the betterment of representations of

Everyone knows that in different places there are different learning habits. Not everyone learn at the same paste or the same subjects. In different states and countries students are to learn different subjects to graduate to get there high school diploma. Though my of years of high school I was done with just about all my basic classes that I need to graduate at the end of my junior year and only had like one or two classes to take on my senior year.. I don't find it a problem if the student should be eligible to graduate early, if that student have done everything they had to do to get their diploma I believe it is a good idea that they senior year should be the year to get ready for college and start there career or go to college. it will

Growing up as a Latina consisted of loud family gatherings and a well-built background. My grandparents are the backbone to our family. They built a name for themselves when they came to America at a young age. To me, they are the true definition of a hard worker. They started off from the bottom and crawled out of the struggle to provide for our family. Although life didn’t come easy they continued to push their way to the top. As an old traditional family we were taught to have strong morals. One moral that we have is to always work hard and challenge ourselves to be better. My family has never had anyone attend a college therefore I would be the first. It’s a true blessing to have an opportunity to go to college, but it means that I have

The world in which I was raised in compares to no other, thus has shaped my personal attributes and dreams in a drastic way. From living in a city with a bad reputation as well as family that was gang affiliated; my parents knew that moving into an altered neighborhood would help shape me into the individual I would need to become successful and unique in my on way. From living in Watts and then moving to Lynwood I can say my stabilized home has given me a sense of appreciation towards my parents’ hard work to provide for my sibling and I. This sense of appreciation motivates me to push myself to surpass any boundaries and strive for excellence and none the less. With that thought, knowing the hardships and obstacles my parents conquered, the sky is my only limit and with college much more can be achieved, especially with the motivation I have to succeed. Living in a dominantly Hispanic community, many of my peers as well as friends and family have fallen under stereotypes that are used to categorize Hispanics. I on the other hand, take criticism such as, “nothing good comes out of Lynwood” and do everything in my power to prove it wrong. My motivation, determination, and ambition to make my parents proud are the heart of

Raised by a single parent, many think I am not capable of exceeding expectations. In trying to accomplish the American Dream, I did not lose grasp of my Hispanic roots. I appreciated my background and encouraged others to do so as well. With the pressure mounted of being successful in my family, I managed to take control of my goals. By participating in Junior Achievement, an organization that helps children value free enterprise through educational programs, I incorporated my knowledge onto the younger generation. My mother has always said that my education is more important than any type of work out there. It is a privilege to even have an education, therefore, I shouldn't take it for granted. Moreover, my life has always been exemplified

The reason why I think it’s important to have a high school diploma in your future is because certain jobs that make the big money it’s a requirement for you to have a high school diploma. In this generation it all comes down to money, how much you making, how much you spend and if you don’t have a really good job because you didn’t get your high school diploma then you have to watch what you spend your money on. It is some jobs that you don’t need a high school diploma too work at like for example McDonalds but It a likely chance you’re going to be working there forever making a lot money. It’s also important to have it in the future because of your children why I say that because every parent wants to make their children life better than