Success Stories

A Dream Becomes Reality

The reason that I came to this country is the same as many others, to have a better future. I am a native from Mexico City. I came to this country when I was twenty years old with the main idea of working, saving money, and returning to my country to continue with my professional studies. I was in the second semester of the university. I was enrolled in the engineering college. My father could not support me economically anymore. I had the necessity to look for a job. I found a full-time job, but my earnings would be very low. On the other hand, at this time my studies required my total attention. So after much thought, I applied for my passport, then I applied for the American visa to come to USA legally. After some time, I obtained it. This step was a decisive moment in my life because I determined that my journey was inevitable.

After some months, I arrived in this country on June 21, 1990. I was very nervous and impressed because I could not believe that I was in the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America, it's called the country of opportunities. Four days after I arrived in Houston, Texas, I started to work, housekeeping, babysitting, and cleaning offices for six months. I need to confess that I did not have any permission to work in this country, but I did. I saved enough money during these six months and then returned to Mexico, before my permission to enter to U.S. expired. In that way, I was able to help my parents economically.

On January of 1991 I returned to Houston, and I continued working as a baby-sister. At this time, I met my husband, six months later I married him.After one year of marriage, I became pregnant with my first baby. It was a special event in my life. I was very happy, but in myself I felt that something was missing. In 1995, my second child was born, two years later I had my third one. I was a very busy mother; sometimes I was depressed because I continued to feel a sense of emptiness inside me.

I was able to find my answer in my dreams. I had them for months; always I saw myself walking among students and sitting in the classrooms. Especially, I saw in my dreams my middle-school classmates. I enjoyed this period of my life very much. Furthermore, the intense visions revealed through my dreams, motivated me to look for an English school.

The responsibility to help my children in their future scholastic activities, the responsibility to give my family a better lifestyle, and the necessity to give myself personal satisfaction, inspired me to enroll in a good English school.

After a long search, I learned about the Even Start Program. It is an excellent program that provides parental skills, adult educational opportunities, childcare, and transportation to the families, all this at no monetary cost. The only requirement was the desire for professional improvement and to want to have a better lifestyle. I remember those hard days when the school bus gave me a ride from home to school. I had to bring my three children to the school, our own lunches, my books, and two car sits. I looked as if I was moving from my home. I do not know what I would have done if my classmates had refused to help me. I was very persistent in my classes. I did not like to be absent, because I liked to approach the maximum of this opportunity. I missed classes only in emergency situations.

One day I had good news, I was pregnant again with my youngest girl. I was happy, but at the same time the news was depressing for me because my plans to continue with my education were postponed again. The personnel of Even Start Program gave me all the support that I needed. At that time, I heard about a new program called Early Start Program that together with the Head Start Program helps children from families of low income. These programs work together with the Even Start program. They provide early academic development, which helped enrich my children socially, physically, and emotionally. Both programs were significant support at this stage of my life, because of them it was possible for me to make my dreams come true.

I need to mention a special person, Ms. Micol Hamed, she has been the best English teacher that I have known in my life. She provided me a strong principle base in my knowledge of English language and still does. She always had confidence, patience, and a positive attitude toward me.

During this time, I obtained my American citizenship, too. I was very excited about it because this was another goal accomplished. Two years later, my new goal was to obtain my GED certificate. I had a high school diploma from Mexico, but I was afraid because my English was limited, I dealt with my fears and I entered the GED class. After six months of arduous study, I took my GED test. Unfortunately, I could not pass my test of Literature, I failed it only by one point. One point! That cost me three months of waiting to retake the test. When I was to retake the test, I had trust and confidence in myself that I would pass the examination. Exactly, two days before my birthday, on October 10 of 2001, I received my GED certificate by mail. It was a very special and important gift that I gave to myself.

The GED Graduation Ceremony was exceptionally emotional and was a remarkable moment in my life. With the firm conviction in my mind to continue with my academic development, I enrolled in college. Actually, I am in my third semester of school, I want to be a registered nurse. I know the way is long and it is full of obstacles, but I have confidence that God will give me the strength and the fortitude to realize my objective. I have many responsibilities in my life, the principle is my family, my four children and my husband, but precisely for them I hope to have the strength as well the courage to accomplish my goal, to be a nurse.