Exuberant: effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant

Over course of my education I have pushed through some tough obstacles, whether they were education obstacles or simply the way of life. I have gone through more than most students, I have struggles as well as everyone but my struggles won’t be even thought of comparing to a student as close as Carmel. Why you may ask? I am from a city that has an ridiculous amount of violence, in 2017 we were ranked the highest for homicides. On the first of February of 2019 I woke up to around five gunshots, screaming, punching, and my mother running with panic screaming.

“Someone got shot, someone got shot!” Repeatedly.

My neighbor had shot and injured a man, in my front lawn, because of this incident I was not able to leave my house, even to go to school. Because of this incident I had another setback with my education, another setback because, since I moved to Salinas CA, I have had setbacks. When I moved here I did not understand any English, in fifth grade my teacher did not teach us a single subject other then his favorite subject storytelling. In seventh grade my class had three different math teachers the same year, and stayed on the same subject for the whole year, graphing. During that time two very special family members passed, my cousin, and my great grandmother, we all had the same birthday, December, 19. I always spent time with them especially my cousin, he took care of me and always was there when I needed him the most, he was my best friend; my brother; my family. What hurts me the most is that I was not there for him when he needed me the most, I never was able to attend his funeral or go to the hospital when he was bleeding out.

After My cousin died, I stopped caring about school I was ready to go work in construction like every other Mexican that does not want to work in the fields. But that changed when I found out my mother had a heart condition, The doctor said it was able to be treated, I thank God she is still here with me but, I promised her I would do good in school and have a better life for her so I could take care of her. Now I am exuberant about school, and I don’t have so much stress over school because I use school to relieve my stress, and keep me out of being one of the 664 people every year to commit a crime in Salinas.