My story began in El Salvador, where I was born; during my delivery into the world, I suffered a lack of oxygen to my brain, resulting in a near-death experience. My mom’s doctor was on vacation, so a doctor who had no idea what mom’s situation was like had to be in my birth, but he did not do a good job. Luckily for me, my only physical complications were my inability to walk & limited use of my arms.
My next challenge started in first grade in a typical kid’s school. As I grew up, the time had come for me to go to kindergarten, and my parents wanted me to attend a regular one. Being in a typical kindergarten, I was the only kid in a stroller in the entire place with a nanny next to me all day, and the other kids would look at me like I was an alien. After a couple of days passed, they began to like hanging out with me. However, like my kindergarten experience, it took a while for the other kids to accept me as one of their friends.
I spent nine years at that school, where I became the school mascot and participated in many school sporting events that took place all around the world. This opportunity allowed me to travel to other countries such as Peru and Guatemala, in which I had a chance to get to know the culture in each of them. Furthermore, I got to see all the essential things and landmarks of the countries; in Peru, I went to the Machu Picchu Mountains. In Guatemala, I went to Antigua, Guatemala. I had a great time learning new cultural stuff.
By the end of 2010, when I was in ninth grade, my parents decided to move to New York. My dad and I arrived in New York on the night of Thanksgiving. Though I was excited about the big move, adjusting to the new culture was challenging. I was the only one of my brothers to pass the ESL exam, and I did not have to take that class in high school here. As English is not my first language, communicating was hard for me at first, but thank God I attended bilingual schools in El Salvador, so I knew a little bit of English.
The last challenge that I had to overcome was studying in a new school with kids in wheelchairs, just like me. That school made me feel like a typical student because I wasn’t the only one in a wheelchair. This past June of 2013, I graduated with a local diploma. In June 2020, I graduated from Queensborough Community College with an associate degree in Internet Information. Now I am attending The New York City College of Technology for my bachelor’s degree in computer systems.
