The American Dream by Daniel

The American Dream by Daniel - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

Growing up half White and half Mexican, I knew being Hispanic was part of my culture, but I often took refuge in being White. It wasn’t until high school that interest in my Hispanic heritage grew into a passion. In my sophomore English class, I had to write a paper about my ancestry. I discovered my grandparents came to the U.S. as migrant workers under Roosevelt’s Bracero Program. They travelled from New Mexico to Nebraska and worked in the fields, enduring the summer heat, poor living conditions, and the arduous labor of bailing hay, picking cotton, and harvesting sugar beets. My mom grew up working in those fields but became the first in her family to attend college. Their rich cultural history compelled me to understand and embrace myself as a Mexican-American.

The stories of my mom and her parents taught me the plight of many Hispanic immigrants and their children. This experience transformed me into an activist, and I began working on Hispanic issues in Austin. As a sophomore, I joined the Austin High Latino Partnership (AHLP), a group of dedicated Latino students helping Hispanics at Austin High through service projects. However, I also saw a need to extend AHLP’s impact beyond high school. After joining, I proposed a blue jeans drive for Casa Marianella, a local immigrant shelter. Many students supported the idea but didn’t know how to execute it. I took the lead by contacting businesses, assigning jobs, and setting deadlines. The jeans drive was a major success, raising over 180 pairs of jeans in two days. The success from the jeans drive helped me to be elected president, but this was nothing compared to seeing the immigrants’ faces light up in choosing their jeans for the winter. Seeing the delight of the immigrants, who had endured much adversity, was inspiring. This project transformed AHLP from being a social service club into a community service organization, fostering a momentum for more community-based projects.

Under my leadership, AHLP now works on projects with the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, hosts multiple clothing drives for immigrant shelters, raises supplies for needy schools, and coordinates with Latino leaders from around the country through the University of Texas’ annual Latino Leadership Summit.

The continued success and impact of AHLP has motivated me to pursue my dream of creating a national, non-profit organization for immigrants coming to the United States. Also, I plan to work in international relations, for example, by promoting business relations between the United States and Latin America or serving as a United States diplomat. I hope to address cultural issues, advance working rights, and promote leadership roles for minorities and immigrants. As a culturally competent leader, I will continue my service to others and fight for Hispanic and minority causes—while in college and then beyond.