Gene Denton 25

As time goes by, I’ve realized that my parents’ physical capabilities to work have depleted immensely. They’re older now, so physical labor costs them more to fulfill. Growing up in an immigrant household, I’ve been able to acknowledge their tedious work ethics. Their resilience and tenacious attitudes towards day-to-day problems have inflicted a sense of determination within me. Since then, I’ve been able to understand the importance of education and involvement in extracurricular activities. I’ve held a variety of leadership positions evidencing my versatility. I’m involved in Leadership 20/20, Culture Club, Student council, and FBLA (Future Business Leaders Of America). My engagement in these positions has deepened my comprehension of leadership dynamics and the essence of commitment. I’ve gained valuable skills and have demonstrated growth personally and professionally. 

These mere experiences have established a life long drive and devotion towards aiding my community. I’ve actively engaged, supported and brightened up my community through various approaches of volunteer work. I’ve participated in events such as; Harvesters, blood drives, after school programs, babysitting, tutoring, local church charity events and have provided sports assistance. Although I’ve gained a lot of indispensable knowledge within my experiences of volunteering, my most satisfactory triumph occurred with my church service. On June 26, 2022, I took part in an eleven hour parish charity event for the Sacred Heart of Guadalupe Church. Here, we raised approximately $13,000 to compensate for a partial percentage of the church’s debt. It was truly an enlightening and fulfilling experience that allowed me to act in a service rooted in faith. 

I’ve continued to use this newly acquired understanding of contribution to help me decide my future career. As we enter the thresholds of education in preschool and part ways into the “real world”, the major question we get asked as students is “what are you going to be when you grow up?”. Many of my peers at the time aspired to become firefighters, police officers or social media influencers. I always felt an attraction towards working in the medical field. At a young age, I was exposed to the aiding duties of a radiologist and became fascinated by their assistance. Subsequently, I’ve held this decision in high regard. I’m aware that the journey towards becoming this profession is exceedingly challenging, and might give me moments of stress and even tears. Nevertheless, the fact that my parents have provided me with the opportunity to pursue a higher education propels me to move forward. They encourage me daily to keep going. Even when I say “estoy cansada’’ or ‘’ya no puedo”, which translates to “I’m tired” and “I can’t anymore”. In those moments, I begin to reflect on their sacrifices and all of their manual labor they did. Realizing I have the golden opportunity to work with my intelligence and not my hands. I have acknowledged that if my parents would have been offered the chance to attend college, they would have seized it with alacrity. This propelled me to become the first-generation college student, the motivation to do better than the life imposed on my parents.