First To Go Program

The Positivity in My Lived Experiences

Jane Dawkins — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:21:05 PST

A mother’s love, and a daughter’s dedication— that is the bond this student writer describes as she gracefully paints her life’s struggles on paper. With her mother battling cancer and college decisions to make, she finds herself realizing the many difficulties that come with growing up. Amid trying to decide to let go of her home and let in her future, she finds that there is a war waged between who she wants to be and who she should be. However, it is through her “wants” and “shoulds” that she discovers her reason to fight: her mother.

One Day, It'll Pay Off

Valeria Pereira — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:19:45 PST

Change has an unsettling power that can scare most individuals. For those who commute between different environments on a daily basis, change may ranges from “seeing a pregnant mother pushing a stroller with a five year old by her side, [to seeing] a white lady jogging, with a white, well-groomed poodle by her side.” Change means difference, and for author Valeria Pereira, change comes in the form of different socio-economic environments. Between attending an expensive private school and living in Lennox, CA, Pereira learned the significance of dissimilarity. It was that experience, however, that aided her in overcoming her educational and family struggles; and ultimately placing her where her fate met ability, LMU.

For Them

Oscar Pineda — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:10:12 PST

In his narrative, author Oscar Pineda delves into the concept of the American Dream. When the narrative opens, Pineda finds himself sitting on a plastic chair the day of his graduation, realizing that his life has been the result of parental nurture, devotion, and hardship. With family as his drive for success, Oscar soon realizes that his own American Dream “is for them,” the people that supported him through high school.

A Routine, A Life

Miriam Vega — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:45:17 PST

Parental sacrifice is a reality author Miriam Vega knows much about. In her personal narrative, Vega brings forth a concept very few acknowledge, i.e., the cost of responsibility and its future effect on children. At a young age, Vega was charged with taking care of very young siblings, while her parents worked most of the day. She feels guilty about wanting a better life for herself because she acknowledges and appreciates her parents’ sacrifices. Growing up in a family where the “importance of work…[became] more of a survival tool than an art of success,” by the end of the narrative she finds herself on a journey where family and college life seem impossible to intersect.

I Did It

Marisa Cervantes — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:45:13 PST

Balancing between being one of the boys and a lady, Marisa Cervantes writes about the challenge that personal relationships, family, and insecurities pose in relation to education. Despite feeling guilty about leaving her high school boyfriend behind, Marisa comes to recognize the importance of letting go of the familiar. By embracing the new challenges of being a first-generation student, Cervantes soon realizes that her future has much in store.

My Sister

Alejandra Alarcon — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:45:11 PST

Now 20, Alejandra Alarcon writes her personal narrative through her once six-year old eyes. Combining both childhood wonder and adult-like responsibility, she describes the various ways that she took care of her mother and younger sister. After years of unchanging family-related stressors, Alarcon begins to challenge the idea of a “perfect” world, and does so by questioning herself, her family life, and her future in college.