The American Dream has been pursued by millions of people throughout many years, and my parents were not an exception. I was just nine years old when my parents decided to move from Chile to the U.S. They thought it would bring me a more rewarding life, and I would have better chances in life to be successful. My sister, fourteen years old at the time, remained in Chile living with our grandmother. In the beginning it was very difficult to adapt to a new country, language, and different people. It was an everyday struggle and with no family at all in Boston, or anywhere else in the U.S it was very difficult not to be homesick and to not feel alone. My parents tried to be strong and hide their struggles, but it was evident to me that things were not going exactly how they thought it would. They pushed through and helped me through my most hopeless moments. Not once did they give up on me, nor did they give up on their dream of having a better life for our family. It took a while for me to finally get accustomed to such a different environment, however, when I did; I became more aware and more appreciative of my surroundings.
When I got accepted to Boston Latin School, I did not know much about it. I was still relatively new and I did not know how difficult or prestigious it was. I still remember my first day of Seventh grade, I was lost and I did not know anyone, but I remember being happy meeting all these new people. It was like a new start. It was not easy, and everything was so much harder and fast paced, at time I felt like I could not keep up. Ninth grade was by far my hardest year, and partially I think it was because I did not put as much effort as I should have. I did not realize, that by not studying and working hard enough I was only harming myself and I was not showing the hardworking and determined student that I am. By the end of the year I had failed a class, and I felt like a failure. However, my parents really helped me realize that I made a mistake, and that if I wanted to prove myself, I was going to have to work twice as hard the next year. I did as I promised and my grades improved. I had been playing squash since I was in the Sixth grade, and in the program they offered me a lot of help in order to bring my grades up during the year, which was a step I needed to take in order to be more organized and have a schedule to follow. From there on, my studying methods and grades have improved and I am proud of the student that I have become.
I have always been interested in government. Back in Chile I would help my grandmother run campaigns for different people in different offices and I loved everything about it. Although now I prefer more of international relations and political science, I still believe that helping run campaigns, whether they are small or big, is a very helpful step in understanding politics and getting to know communities. I shifted towards international relations because I have experienced different countries in which governments are ran very differently. Some take advantage of the resources they have, while others do not, and people suffer from that. I love helping people, and I have very great respect to those who actually make things happen in order to change their communities for the better and in order for the people to feel safe and at home. Even though I grew up in Chile and my family is from there, I feel more at home in the U.S and I believe that even though it is not perfect, the system in which this country is ran by, it is very effective and people have more of a say in the changes they want. Everyone is clear of what his or her civil right and civil liberties are and no one can take that away from them.