My story part 3

I am writing this to share something with each of you.. To me education is a much needed tool to have. Not just classroom education but things we can't learn solely in a classroom. Education and knowledge we gain from each other. For those of you who listened to my stories or the stuff I have shared in class there is another side of me known of you don't know. What you don't know is that for my first 1yr and 6months of going to school I was homeless living in parks, under freeways, on the beach and in a homeless shelter waiting for a spot in student housing to open up. The above picture is where i slept for most of the time. It got extremely cold and I showered on the beach or use baby wipes to try and keep clean. The sad part was I had a job but didn't make enough for the 1st, last, and deposit for a place, nor could I come up with money for a place on craigslist. Most nights I spent freezing cold, sitting doing homework at the nearest Internet cafe' simply trying to stay warm and dreading going on the beach. This part of my life is very significant because I would not let my situation dictate what happened, I was going to continue school no matter what obstacles came in my way. Why am I sharing this with all of you? Simply because this is a part of my story that I didn't get time to share. I am not ashamed to admit I have been homeless, nor does it effect me in a negative way. I stuck it out and I finally got a spot in student housing and was able to move from the beach.

While living on the beach I had maintained a 4.0 and never missed a day of school. I also worked at the school and became a R.A. (resident assistant) in charge of making sure new students got moved into student housing and the transition into student life went well for them. I also counseled many students and have shared my story with many who will listen. The moral of this story is simple. Never give up hope and just like our ancestors who came here looking for a better life for themselves and the future generations of our family I strive to do the same.

I hope to keep in contact with as many of my classmates as I can. Feel free to email me at joshua.vasquez01@gmail.com or text me at 408 - 963 - 8305

Thank you,

Joshua