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Maria Alvarado
Professor Ditch
English 113B
19 February 2015
The Road to Success
For my family, going to school has always been something important. Especially coming
from a Hispanic culture where my family was not given the same opportunities and options as I
am being given now. From elementary school to high school the main goal has been to prepare
us for college. In high school you take certain classes to be able to stand out from the rest or join
extra curriculum activities. In your senior year of high school you take the ACT and SAT and
later you are expected to make a decision about your future , whether it is to join the navy/army,
work, or attend college. The decision for me was easy; I always knew that I wanted to attend
college. My family always made it clear that they wanted me to pursue a higher education and be
the first high school and college graduate. My parents made it easy for me to stay focused in
school, by not expecting me to do anything else but my studies. I then began the process of
researching and applied to universities, five months later I became part of California State
University of Northridge culture. We all had the same process coming to Northridge, from
applying to taking exams, attending orientation, and finally enrolling in classes. As a student
here at Northridge, we all have the same goals and that is to pursue a higher education and
graduate from college. While achieving these goals we all face troubles, form memories, and

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have life changing experiences. Therefore, this essay will talk about how important school and
education is for my family and me as I settle into the college culture .
Majority of the parents want their children to pursue higher education. College was never
an option for both my parents and me. Like myself, my parents and I knew that college was
important, in order to get a well-paying job. Lizeth Avalos in her literacy narrative states They
came here to work, to improve their lives; they came here to earn money and raise a family
whose chances of succeeding would be higher than family members in Mexico . (Jackson 36).
Resemblance to my parents who wanted me to take advantage of the opportunities that they were
never given. Sharing their stories made me appreciate what I have and if anything it gave me
motivation. Their main focus was for me to excel in school; therefore, getting a job was never in
their thoughts. They had the idea that if I were to get a job I would abandon my studies . Only the
men had the option of working while attending school. My parents had other priorities in mind,
especially since I was the oldest grandchild from both side of the family and being an only child .
I knew it was important to become that role model for my younger siblings and, lucky for them,
that I actually want to attend college and work on getting a degree.
Applying to college was a whole new experience to me . Anastacia in her article Culture
and communication stated, As a college student, the way of life you share with other college
students may include a specific language such as the words quad, ombudsman, registrar, and
FAFSA, as well as specific norms about where, when, an how to study. (Kurylo 3-4). From
filling out FAFSA, school applications, to enrolling in classes, Northridge students identified

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with the same culture, being the school culture. Those applications became the one of the first
important documents that I had applied to. It might not have meaning to others, but it was highly
significant to me because I then realized that I was on my way to accomplishing both what my
parents and I wanted. In contrast with Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, a writer who realizes she
has accomplished what she has always wanted a book that her mother , with broken English
could read. Tan states in her article, Apart from what any critic had to say about my writing, I
knew I had succeeded where it counted when my mother finished reading my book and gave me
her verdict: easy to read. I grew up with having my parents think that if I pursed a higher
education and completed it, I would be able to stand up for myself, meaning becoming
independent and providing for myself, as opposed to having someone doing it for me. They do
not like the fact of relying on someone when I could rely on myself. That is why at the age of
fifteen the Hispanic women in my family were taught how to cook and clean, because this was
their way of preparing us for adulthood.
Coming as a first time college student to Northridge, I knew that this is where I wanted
to be. College meant a fresh start, moving from a deserted city to Northridge was a big change. I
was not used to the amount of people who reside here. Ronald L. Jackson, Carise L. Glenn, and
Kesha Morant Williiams, in the article Self-identity and culture state Culture shock is the
discomfort you might feel because of unfamiliarity with the environment cues . Adapting to a
new environment and learning new things away from home has had an impact on which I am
now. I am more open to trying new things and starting to make my own decisions . I was used to
having someone deciding for me and now all they can do is guide . In my family we are used to

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being united and coming to college was one of the hardest life changing experiences . From
living with my parents and being used to being taken care of, I have learned how to take care of
myself and my needs something that my parents are proud of as I am entering the adult life. That
is what college has to offer, to us students, the opportunity to make our own mistakes but to learn
and walk away from them. College culture guides many student to learn how to prioritize and
multitask, some may argue two important skills that are important when it comes to education
and life.
In conclusion, the importance of school has been highly significant in my life . My
family being the most influential has guided me into the college culture . For my parents growing
up without the opportunity of getting an education has pushed them for me to have a better
future. The drive I have to pursue a higher education is not only mine, but my parents too,
because I am carrying their dreams. I have learned to appreciate and take advantage of the
opportunities that are given to me. As a college student here at Northridge University, I share the
same goals, to graduate with a degree and be able to find a high paying job which we enjoy do to
do. Cultural shock is a natural thing to happen when adapting to a new environment. As the first
generation to attend college, I did not know what to expect. I came to a bigger school while
learning what my parents have prepared me for, the adulthood. Education is the most valuable
thing one could have, especially coming from a culture that is sometimes underestimated and not
given the same opportunities and questioning their abilities.

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Works Cited
Glenn, L. Cerise, Jackson L. Ronald, and Williams, Morant Kesha. Self-identity and
culture.UN Carolina, Penn State Berks, and UL Urbana-Champaign. Print.
Jackson, Sandra and Reynolds, Amy. New voices. Califonia State University, Northridge:
Hayden-McNeil. 2015.Print.
Kurylo, Anastacia. Culture and communication. Maymount Mahattan College. Print.
Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue. The Threepenny Review:1990. Print.