Personal Narrative Analysis

The sun had just gone down and the chilled winter breeze had already begun making its way through the poorly insulated trailer walls. It was only a matter of time until the unbearable, freezing air engulfed the entire structure. Yet, instead of panicking, my brother and I changed into warmer clothes and headed into a cramped bedroom, where a transportable mini-heater would see us through another night. This was the sad reality of our situation. My parents, who in hopes of working as field hands came to the United States with no formal education or training, could never dream of properly supporting our family of five. Earning pennies, my parents quite often had to choose between purchasing propane to heat the trailer or buying rations of rice

By interacting with the children around me, I realized that several of the issues that applied to me did not apply to other individuals my age. For instance, I realized that it was not normal for a child to look forward to school for the sole reason of being guaranteed a warm meal. I realized it was not normal for a child to wait every day until midnight to witness their parents walk through the front door, only to kiss them goodnight on their dirty, sunburnt cheeks. These issues only scratched the surface of what I dealt with on a day to day basis. Yet, these same obstacles are responsible for inspiring me to not only improve the living situation of my family, but also to aid others who might be experiencing similar

I wanted to help others. Growing up, I knew all too well what it felt like to be alone, like no one cared, and I wanted to do everything in my power to prevent others from feeling the same way. It is for this reason that I have conducted research at the University of Texas focusing on the socioeconomic struggles of Mexican families in Central Texas. Under Dr. Su Yeoung Kim, I have conducted bilingual interviews and collected hair samples for hormone level analysis, all in an attempt to better understand the issues that plague first generation Hispanic children. Additionally, I have helped organize and acted as the head translator for the Hutto Orange Santa, a program which aims to provide every underprivileged child in the Hutto, TX area with toys for Christmas, a luxury I myself seldom had.
Quite characteristically, possessing an insatiable urge to help others, my interests naturally gravitated towards medicine. As a matter of fact, I had always flirted with the idea of becoming a physician, but had never quite set my mind to it. That is, until I shadowed Dr. Kessler at the Austin Cardiac Hospital. Watching him light up patient’s faces by providing them with a degree of compassion that made each one feel as though they were all that mattered at that point in time, truly put into perspective the impact he had on their lives. Ever since