Daniel A. Rodriguez,
Philadelphia, PA.

Hello, my name is Daniel A. Rodriguez and I am 15 years old. I am of Mexican and White descent. My parents came from Mexico shortly before I was born here, in the United States. My father is a construction worker and my mother is a house cleaner, which many consider “Mexican” jobs. I listen to them tell me of how they see the beautiful homes and things of the families of these “Americans”. I then say to myself, “Why do my parents have such stressful, life absorbing jobs, when my “American” family have good paying jobs and nice lifestyles”? My parents tell me on how they wish they could do the same for us, and how they came to this country so that we wouldn’t have a childhood like their own. They tell me on how they wish I can get a good job as an “American” and be the fruit of what they worked so hard for, leaving their whole family, constantly being discriminated, and being put down due to their limited speech. I now realize that i’m not either White “American” nor poor “Mexican”, but unique. I will excel as an individual, just like any other race, ethnicity and person can.