My Success Story
by Alfonso Vega
Published February 12, 2007
My name is Alfonso Vega. I was born in San Luis Potosi Mexico. I
was raised by both of my parents, Lucio and Carlota Vega. I had
6 brothers and 2 sisters. Life for me was really hard and I struggled
a lot. The main problem in my home was money. We lived in
a very small place where we couldn’t have any privacy since we
had to share rooms. We barely got by day by day having only the
necessary things. The only foods were available was rice and beans
and once in a while we had drinks other than water. I was not fortunate
like many other kids, I did not go to school. The only education
I had was when the families around could afford to pay someone to teach
us the basics. The main thing he taught us was the ABC’s
and how to write our names. My parents were often worried for us. They
were really strict. They were afraid that we would become bad people. My
first job was not in a cool place with air conditioner like it is now
for most teens. I worked in the field planting crops with my dad. That
was my job for about thirteen years. Then I decided to go after
the “American Dream”. My parents didn’t want
me to go but I had my mind made up. I said that I had to try even
if I failed, that I had to fight for what I wanted, that miracles don’t
just fall from the sky, that you have to fight really hard to get what
you want. So there I was saying good-bye to my loved ones. It
was around 1974, when I and five other people decided to risk our lives
to make our dream come true. But that dream soon became like a
nightmare. We had to walk about six days. We worked in a
ranch. I actually worked for about a day when immigration came
for me and took me back to Mexico. But I was not going to let them
take what I wanted the most, I was going to fight no matter what. It
took about four years to take another risk to reach my dream. I
was around 1978. This time I was luckier than before and I made
it. I worked for about thirty years. This is when I found
out that people were very resistant against people that were not like
them. People treated me like I was nothing. Every time we tried
to defend ourselves, they threatened to report us to immigration, so
I tried to keep it really cool with everyone. It was around the
late 1900’s when I heard on TV that they were giving Visas to be
a legal worker in the United States. But the conditions were that
we had to have many proofs that we were hard workers and they did a lot
of background checks. After many months, I finally became a legal
Mexican in the United States. That was the happiest day of my
life. Much later I got married. Together we worked
hard to buy a house and start a family. I was blessed with my first
daughter in 1987 and two years later God sent me not only one but two
more twin daughters. They have become my priority. One of
the most special events I have lived with them is when they turned 15
years old. We gave them a party and I got to see that they have
become pretty young ladies. Now my first daughter is about to graduate
from high school this May. My twins are not far behind. They
will be graduating next year in 2007. And they are on their way
to college. I am blessed to see my little princesses get the education
I never had. Presently I am working for a company named Lonestar. I
am a carpenter. I build bridges. Right now we are working
on section 1 of I-130, the highway that will run from Georgetown to Seguin,
Texas. It is for the big trailer rigs. I am making good money. My
wife works for the school district. She works in a school cafeteria. We
are very happy with our jobs and our daughters. My oldest daughter
plans to start Austin Community College next fall and is planning a career
in law. I have been at my present job for three years. I
am taking English classes at La FUENTE Learning Center. I can speak some
English and I understand a lot. I am learning how to read and write. This
is very important to me because I didn’t know how to read and write
very well in Spanish. I have been taking classes for two years
and have learned a lot. Now I feel comfortable when the teacher
calls on me to read. I can do it. I have also made friends at school. I
like going to class. Last year I missed going because I was working
very late. But this year, I made a special effort to come back. I
am surprised how much I have learned. This is my story. I
hope you enjoy reading it.
Thank you,
Alfonso Vega
Story written by Alfonso in Spanish and translated by his daughter,
edited by his teacher Carmen Rodriguez.
LA FUENTE Learning Center
2115 E. 2nd St.
Austin, Texas 78702
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