It starts with my mother, she was raised on the beautiful island of Haiti, in the city of Jeremie. Although she lived a happy life in her childhood, her future was not a bright one. She lived in one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean, in the shadow of a totalitarian dictator. Beyond that, she was a woman, meaning she would not find work easily. As a teenager she was told that she would not graduate high school, and she was advised by teachers many times to drop out. She refused to listen however, and managed to successfully graduate from high school using her intelligence. It didn’t matter, however, as Haiti’s economy was gradually failing. She could not find work, and a far more dire situation arose: she became pregnant. Fearful of her child’s life, my mother decided to immigrate to America, hoping for a better future for her child. My father had a similar story. He lived as a young man in Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, and his environment was a bleak one. Every day he saw people struggling, children starving to death, men getting shot over money squabbles, dead animals laid out on road. He quickly realized that he had no desirable future in Haiti, and together with his wife and two children, he decided to take a leap of faith, and go to a country they knew nothing of. They started with nothing. At the age of 30, my mother worked her first job in america at Taco Bell, a steep plummet from her job in accounting from Haiti. Nonetheless, she refused to give up, and worked harder than ever before.

Quickly, 2 children turned into 4, and my mother quickly realized that she needed to be smarter if she wanted to provide for her family. She went back to school, hoping for a nursing degree and a job that would provide for her hungry children. She worked day and night, juggling a job, children, and college work. Meanwhile why father climbed the corporate ladder due to his hard work, after many setbacks he became an engineer at Chromalloy. They struggled for over a decade trying to reach their goals, my mother almost working herself to death trying to carve a better future for her kids. However, in 2018, they finally achieved their goal. My mother finally graduated college and got her bachelor’s degree, while my father’s hard work and devotion earned him a promotion at his job. If it weren’t for the educational opportunities my mother received when coming here, she never would have become a nurse, she never would have reached as high as she is currently. As for my father, he never would have gotten a job like the one he has in Haiti. If not for the job opportunities he received, he wouldn't’ be able to support both my mother in college and the entire family. At every corner he looked there seemed to be a higher career position for him, a better, safer job for him to work at. Without my parent’s unyielding work ethic, and the amazing opportunities given to them in America, I wouldn’t have the freedom to chase my dreams, and for that I truly am grateful to them.