<p>Can some please give me advice on my Prompt #1 for the UC Personal Statement? Thank You!</p>
<p>I come from a world where graduating from high school and speaking English are already bonuses. Fortunately, I am part of the first generation of my family to be born in the United States. The sad thing is that other than myself, no one in the family seems to be trying to break the trend and do more with their lives. I was born and raised in South Central and have not lived around the best role models my entire life, but Ive always known that I want better than whats around me.
In my family we are extremely proud of being Salvadoran, and even though Ive never been there I still have very strong ties with the culture. One day I came to the sad realization that of all the current Hispanic accomplishments that have been taking place, none are specifically Salvadoran. There are hardly any notable Salvadoran people or any accomplishments that El Salvador can boast of. Ive made it my goal to be part of something will make El Salvador known for more than its gang problems. Ive always taken pride Its this defeated culture that I come from that causes a lot of people who are close to me to tell me that Im working too hard and that it is not in my place to go to college and be very successful. I dont let their words affect me though because I have the support of my parents which is all that matters. Since I was very young, my parents could see how determined I really was and have given me all the support that Ive needed. In more recent years my dedication has only increased and my love for El Salvador has grown. As long as Ive been going to school Ive always taken the hardest courses available to challenge myself and make myself a competitive student to better my chances of being a successful Salvadoran. Race does not determine my limits and I know that if I work hard enough I can be just as successful as anyone.
Ive been attending church on a weekly basis since I was born and Ive learned to have faith that with God anything is possible. I know that my efforts are secondary to Gods will but that I still have to work hard to get what I want. God serves as a light to guide me and help me overcome my challenges. One of these challenges has been lacking the money to get tutors when I needed them or take SAT classes. Ive had to take advantage of the virtues that God has blessed me with and patient and determined to find methods to teach myself and make the most of the resources that are available to me. Ive been able to establish rapport with teachers who are willing to stay after school to help me understand material that I need help with as well as getting other students to work together and help each other. All of these actions I've taken have all been to lead up to being not just successful person, but a successful Salvadoran.</p>