Featured Essay for 2010 Scholarship Awards

Immigration, Times, Am I My Own Hero?
by Juan Marulanda

Immigration is a topic discussed everywhere. Everyone has an opinion about it, but what about, the opinions of the teens that are actually in schools? The Younger Generations of immigrants are taking representative action, and also are realizing the impact that our behavior and actions could have in the United Sates. Would you give up everything that you had built up throughout high school, your good friends, and all the things that you loved about that place, for a dream to finally make it in a new country? Could you overcome your language barriers and finally adapt in every aspect? Wouldn't you feel like your own hero, if you could overcome all of your obstacles and finally make it through in a new country? This is the journey that I've been on for most of my life.

My Family and I are travelers; we are dreamers. We have been everywhere, from South America, to The Caribbean and The United States; it has been a long journey full excitement and experiences. I've had the opportunity to learn about cultures, people, stereotypes, music, and the good and bad aspects of many cultures. I've met amazing teachers, each one with their own personalities and characteristics. I've learned through the years, that the most valuable experience is to learn from others, and learn how to fix our differences.

Moving to a new place includes hundreds of issues, which people need to work out on their own. I'm fortunate to have an amazing family, friends and teachers who have supported me throughout this struggle of adapting, learning a new language and relating to new cultures.

The United States has a lot of things to offer, no matter the way you look, who you are, or where you come from. I'm surprised, how wide and sophisticated the American culture is. There are different types of music, art, and talent, and good education. From my own perspective, the teachers and education in general, are excellent and they always give a hundred percent to their students.

I still think that I can bring new perspectives about Hispanic people. Like me, there are many people who think we can do better as immigrants. We could do a much better job representing our countries and nations. With every action and comment that we say, we represent a small amount of our heritage and culture. Preserving our culture is really important because it makes us unique. But at the same time, we need to be useful, participate and become more interested in the American culture.

I've been blessed to have the opportunity to come to a new country, learn the language, and be aware of all the opportunities and goals that I want to reach someday. I'm really proud of the talents that I have mastered throughout the learning process, and I'm really intrigued about how I'm going to be able to share them with the broader community in the future.

I've been a witness of how tough it is for some immigrants, who can't keep up with the demands of school. I've also seen people who are really talented and dedicated but aren't enrolled in school for different personal reasons or language disadvantages.

With the experience that I have gained during my high school years, I might recognize that we still have barriers inside of schools between races, and cultures, and I think we can become a better young generation, if we leave our prejudices behind and start developing consciousness about us and other people.

The 21st century is the time for the awakening of cultures. We need to start realizing that we live in a multicultural community. The United States has obtained cultures from every corner of the world; from my own perspective, it's the time to become more united and become more rational about how we relate to each other.

I remember a Korean girl called Lissy. She barely spoke English, but instead of giving up, she put all her effort in the studies. She was on top of my ESOL class and regular classes. I realized that there is not a trick behind it. Simple effort and dedication go hand in hand, and afterwards success will come.

I'm proud of the things that I have to share and offer; my music, my views, opinions, knowledge of cultures and a philosophy that believes in honesty, conscience and expression. I can finally say that I'm my own hero, because I've been able to keep up in the process of adapting, and learning a second language. The most rewarding experience for me, has been transforming into a multicultural person, who appreciates every experience and is willing to continue learning, growing (intellectually and internally) and studying here in the United States.