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Abstract: Rachel Reyes was born in Michoacan, Mexico in 1988. Living in Mexico, her father was unable to find good work to support their family. Seeking the “American Dream” of upward mobility, her father left to the United States in search of work. When Mariel was two, her mother, older sister, and her moved to San Rafael, California where her father had finally found work as a mechanic. Mariel had spent the majority of her life growing up in Novato with two other siblings.
Rachel’s parents had never been financially set, and being a family of five only worsened the situation. While growing up, and throughout high school, Mariel’s parents always expected her to attend college. Due to their financial situation, many sacrifices had to be made in order to save money for Rachel and her older sister to attend college. Inspired by the hardships of her family from Mexico and the sacrifices her parents had made, Rachel made it her goal to graduate high school and attend college.
As she began college at Saint Mary’s, hardships began worsening at home. Her father’s gambling addiction had gotten worse, and her mother had begun filing for bankruptcy. Without much financial support from her parents, Rachel was forced to take out loans and find a job. Although the transition has been tough for her as a first generation college student, mentors such as her older sister and help from the HP (High Potential) program at St. Mary’s College, Rachel has been able to keep up in school and financially support herself at the same time. Now with her future goal to become a dentist, hard work, support, and dedication to her education has helped her through the long process of fulfilling her dream.
Keywords: Mexico, HP Program, gambling addiction, bankruptcy, first generation college student, mentors, sacrifices.
*psuedonym
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