Journeys by Rachel

Journeys by Rachel - May 2022 Scholarship Essay

He was my best friend, my partner in crime, the definition of humility and hard work in human form, my father.

Growing up, I was the recipient of innumerable lectures that deliberately stressed the importance of my education. My father, an unemployed immigrant from the far away corners of Acapulco, Mexico, made an unspoken promise to himself that his future children would remain on the path of education, an opportunity he was unable to fulfill.

With that, my father dedicated himself to ensuring I was always being challenged academically. Saving every dollar we came across, my father would buy me educational books to work on during the summer in order for me to excel in the upcoming grade level. Countless hours were spent studying different concepts that bewildered my eight year old mind, but my father always remained patient with me, as he relived what he was unable to through my unfettered thirst for knowledge.

Now my best friend has turned to ice, leaving nothing but an icy shell to deflect me. Like any other addiction, his dependency on narcotics has made it difficult to return to the state of friendship and reliance we were once in. Going days without eating and sleeping, falling in and out of rehab, my father was slowly becoming someone who I no longer knew.

The burden of raising four children alone was now placed on my mother. Slowly killing herself working long hours each day, my mother struggled to make ends meet. Sitting on the horns of this dilemma, I pondered ways to financially support my family of six. My frantic need for aid led me to my first job (at just 14 years old), a place where all my father’s prolonged lectures began making more sense. “Si estudias, no tienes que vivir de cheque a cheque”, he’d say to me with an anguished look on his face. Looking for tranquility, I was greeted by the loud cries of my baby brother and sister, twins born during the heat of all that was wrong. As the eldest sibling, I felt obligated to help care for them. My mother was not only emotionally affected by my fathers addiction but was ultimately overworked as a result of the financial insecurity we faced as a family.

Waking up at the peak of dawn everyday, I made my way to what became my second home, school. Intense morning cheer practices followed along with a rigorous academic course load and club commitments, I found fulfillment through a hectic schedule. The continuous reminder that my father was emotionally absent (despite his physical presence) never lingered through my mind, as I found myself overcommitting to bear the encumbrance of it all. Meeting side by side with administration at my school, hearing out student voices as ASB Vice President, and prompting ways to initiate change through my various leadership roles, I quickly discovered an area where my yearning for impartiality thrived. Going beyond school programs such as ASB and Key Club, I devoted many hours to non-profit organizations dedicated to bettering the lives of individuals from underrepresented communities. Youth 4 environmental Justice being one of them. It was through this organization where I realized the power my voice held as it enabled me to speak on issues ranging from environmental racism, systematic oppression, and food insecurity.

Spurred by my upbringing, my fathers emotional absence was pivotal to my calling in life. I developed a sense of humanitarianism that enabled me to thrive in environments where I could contribute to causes greater than my own. With no surprise, my aspirations of becoming a doctor developed soon after my philanthropic approach to life began. I know that with hard work, my commitment to humanistic care will be met, as I tackle health disparities and inspire others in my community and beyond. This is just the beginning.