The Oxford English Dictionary defines the “American Dream” as “the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” However, this dream does not provide an equal opportunity for all “Americans.” As Central “Americans,” my parents were forced to flee from the poverty of their country and risk their lives to migrate to the U.S., in order to “achieve success and prosperity.” They had to fight to achieve this supposed “American Dream” and it is their fight that constantly pushed me to do the best I could in order to make my their sacrifice worthwhile. The “American Dream,” the desire of a better life, the mere human instinct to be
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Garcia. She was a kind, gentle, and caring teacher. However, her most significant quality was her bilingualism in English and Spanish. I was enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, in which Mrs. Garcia helped me with English during recess. I was fortunate enough to have my first American teacher be bilingual as it allowed me to easily connect with her and feel more comfortable around her. In fact, in Ochoa’s novel, Academic Profiling, she interviews Yi, a high school student, who “remember elementary school in the U.S. as ‘really hard’ [as] he tried to adjust to a new country and language ” Yi had to face the overwhelming transition of a new culture and language alone; whereas I was fortunate enough to have a teacher that spoke my language and helped me transition into my new home. Although, Mrs. Garcia was only meant to teach me English, she often went out of her way to help me adapt to my new environment. She helped me create new friendships with students who were also bilingual which put me in an even more comfortable environment as I was happy to practice my English and mispronounce words without fearing my peers’ judgment. Moreover, at the end of my third month in class, Mrs. Garcia awarded me with a “Student of the Month Award” at an assembly for English. This award motivated me even further in improving my English and doing well in
Garcia. She was a kind, gentle, and caring teacher. However, her most significant quality was her bilingualism in English and Spanish. I was enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, in which Mrs. Garcia helped me with English during recess. I was fortunate enough to have my first American teacher be bilingual as it allowed me to easily connect with her and feel more comfortable around her. In fact, in Ochoa’s novel, Academic Profiling, she interviews Yi, a high school student, who “remember elementary school in the U.S. as ‘really hard’ [as] he tried to adjust to a new country and language ” Yi had to face the overwhelming transition of a new culture and language alone; whereas I was fortunate enough to have a teacher that spoke my language and helped me transition into my new home. Although, Mrs. Garcia was only meant to teach me English, she often went out of her way to help me adapt to my new environment. She helped me create new friendships with students who were also bilingual which put me in an even more comfortable environment as I was happy to practice my English and mispronounce words without fearing my peers’ judgment. Moreover, at the end of my third month in class, Mrs. Garcia awarded me with a “Student of the Month Award” at an assembly for English. This award motivated me even further in improving my English and doing well in