Mentor

I  have had many mentors and people I have looked up to. Many people will say despite where I have come from, look at all I have done. However I think all of the people that have helped me get this far would agree that because of where we have come from we succeeded. If I had everything and grew up in a great neighborhood with two parents I doubt I would have been as successful as I am. I am not saying my dad not being there or growing up in a less fortunate neighborhood got me to where I am; I just realized that I did not want to stay where I was. I became ambitious and determined because I did not want to be in the environment I lived in forever. I think situations are what you make of them. On the other wes moore he goes to military school. Wes wanted nothing more than to go back home but it ended up helping him in the long run. It set him on a better path. The other wes saw the money his brother was making and despite what his brother told him about that life he followed that path anyways. 

One of my best mentors and former teacher Mr. Hernandez helped me to question things like if our environment makes us who we are and how history affects us. He is very smart and talented.  Mr. Hernandez has also always supported me and helped guide me when I might be heading towards a darker path. As a Mexican American who grew up in California and came to school in Jersey he is very understanding towards his students and always willing to help. Even when he was super busy going back to college he still wrote a recommendation letter for me and checks in from time to time to make sure everything is good. He gave me the idea of people connecting back to where they are from. He would spend hours telling stories of where he came from and what he achieved based on his choices compared to his twin brother. They are super different and went down two very different paths despite being twins and growing up together. It was because of how they viewed the world Mr. Hernandez left and his brother didn't.

Hernandez left because of his love of culture and that need for education. Hernandez is a history teacher and now has his ph.d but he still wants to learn more and see more. His brother felt California was home and despite their mom not always being the best and their dad not being there he wanted to stay by their mom. I do not know much about Hernandez brothers but I know they had two different views despite where they grew up and what they experienced. People will always have differing perspectives and I think those perspectives are just natural instincts. That is why no two people are the same because perspective choices, environment and experience all play a part in who someone is and the journey they take in life.