Since I was little, it has been instilled in me to always do everything wholeheartedly and to never accept failure as an option. Faith and family have always been and will always be the most important things in my life. Without either of the two, I would not be where I am today. I would not be a respectful, young gentleman, liked by all of my peers, with a very bright future ahead of me. I give my mother as much credit as possible, considering that she single-handedly raised me.

As a child, I attended St. Anthony's Catholic School and began excelling at an early age. While at St.Anthony's I participated in sports, music and academic competitions. I did rather well. It has always seemed to surprise people that someone can be both athletically and intelligently gifted. To me is has always just been an everyday thing in which I thank God daily.

After St. Anthony's, I attended Vernon Middle School. While at Vernon I once again showed how versatile and multifaceted I could be by excelling in team sports and academics. I enjoy the challenge.

Now, being a senior at Harlingen High School I look back at what I have accomplished and am very thankful that I worked as hard as I did to stay above the competition. Throughout my four years I have been elected president of our class by my peers and am currently ranked number four out of 596 students. I have participated in choir, athletics and I am also a member of the National Honor Society. I've been on the varsity football and basketball teams since my sophomore year. Currently I am being pursued by many Ivy League colleges for my achievements on the football field and in the classroom. I will continue to challenge myself.

 

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Any set goal can come true when there is a strong motivation to be a better person. They key to succeed is to keep trying, no matter the obstacles or disadvantages that we have.

My name is Valeria Vallejo. I was born in San Benito, Texas, but I was raised in Mexico by my grandmother and my mom. Spanish was my first language.

When I was 12 my life changed. That was when my dad came to get me and move to the Valley to experience a U.S. education. The fist years were hard to adapt, but thanks to my dad's advice and experiences. I was more encouraged to not give up and increase my knowledge so that one day I can be able to graduate and not struggle like he did.

In high school, I started practicing my English more with friends. Thanks to them I also got interested in taking pre-AP courses. I joined more extracurricular activities, got accepted into a program that helped me get into college courses in the summer and enrolled in dual enrollment and AP classes. I am proud to say that I passed two of my AP exams and have a total of 28 college hours. Step by step, my goals are starting to increase and if it wasn't for my dad's support to learn, I wouldn't be top ranked of my class, be senior parliamentarian, secretary of the Spanish honors society and national honors president.

Now my goals are to keep striving for more, and to expand my education. I want to be able to accomplish my life goal of attending college outside of Brownsville and come back after graduation as a successful woman to encourage other students to believe in education as much as I did.

 

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My name is Anahi Garza. I am 16 years old. I am the daughter of Omar and Antonia Garza. I have one sibling by the name of Omar Garza Jr. that attends Miller Jordan Middle School.

I am a student at San Benito High School and am an active participant in several clubs. I am part of HOSA, which is the medical club at the school. Through this club and my involvement in the HST program, I am making my path for my future career as a physician. I am also part of Estudiantina, Mu Alpha Delta, and I was the Junior Class vice president.

I am ranked as the top student of my class and plan to continue this achievement.

 

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The less you have, the more you value.

During Spring Break, my dad, two younger brothers and I were talking. I mentioned to my dad how bored I was. He told me to read a book. My brother instantaneously burst out laughing saying, "Dad, who does that during vacations."

My dad stayed quiet. He looked up at us and said, "if I knew how to read, I would be reading right now." All of a sudden, reality hit us. We realized the gift we had, the gift of literacy.

My dad didn't graduate from high school. My mom, at 41, is going to graduate from collage for the first time. Knowing that no one from my family has graduated from college yet and that my parents didn't have the same opportunities I've had motivates me to get involved, to graduate, to make a name for myself and ultimately to give back.

My parents work so hard to try and give us a better life, so all I want to do is reward them. My achievements aren't for me; they are for my parents. I think that's what sets me apart from other prospective college students. A lot of them don't understand how important an education is. A lot of them have had it easy all their lives.

Living under low-income circumstances has given me the opportunity to value an education. Being among one of the first generation in my family to attend college is not just something I can be proud of; it is something my parents can be proud of.

I want to give my parents the life they tried to give me, so they don't have to worry like they have my whole life.

 

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My parents' American dream was to provide me with the best possible education so I could overcome the perils of poverty. For a very long time, we lived in a garage - a space we shared with numerous other illegal immigrants.

Every day we would rise with the sun, and work after sunset. We lived in fear of being deported back to our native Queretaro, but it didn't stop us from scraping floors, cleaning homes and picking cherries and apricots under the California sun. The racism, hardships and hunger we faced contributed greatly to mold the person I am today.

My dream came true a couple of years ago. I became a U.S. citizen and I was free to pursue an education. I aimed for holistic success. I made use of every resource available to me and instructed myself in classic literature, music and art. I read books on proper social etiquette, and learned how to play tennis and the piano. I speak English and Spanish fluently and I am comfortable with Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Italian.

I am a GOLD Youth and Close-Up Alumna, a Generation Texas representative, a National Security Language Initiative for Your semi-finalist, a Quest Bridge Scholar, a recipient of the Excellence Award in Communications from Texas State Technical College and I'm currently ranked number one in my class.

I serve as the Community Service Chair in my school's chapter of the National Honor Society. I'm part of my parish Liturgy and Technology Ministry, and I've been a Sunday school teacher's assistant for five years.

My goal now is to be a plethora of knowledge that diffuses wisdom. Some day I hope to become a doctor that instructs and heals.

My 17 years have taught me a priceless lesson; determination and persistence are the keys to success.

 

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My name is Midyana Monique Mireles. I am a 17-year-old from Santa Rosa, Texas. When you look at me, you may think I am a carefree person that listens to music all day, which I enjoy, but I am goal-oriented and purpose-driven. Behind the scenes, I am a busy bee juggling high school, band and many other activities.

I participate in different organizations such as band, Business Professionals of America, student council, National Honor Society, Cotillion, PALS Program (elementary school mentor), mascot, FFA and varsity golf. So, as you can tell, I love to stay busy.

This summer I participated in the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Bizfest. Bizfest is a three-day summer program for young entrepreneurs who love to learn about the business world. This program, presented by Dr. John Sargent and held at UTPA, was a three-day program in which each student had to come up with a Power Point presentation and present it in front of four judges. The top six projects had a chance to go to the national USHCC Bizfest held in Los Angeles, Calif. I was one of the six who received this opportunity. I received the award for Most Entrepreneurial.

Like any other high school student, I have overcome difficulties in my life. When I was 13 my father passed away. This was not an easy thing to go through as a teenager. This was the same year Hurricane Dolly hit the Rio Grande Valley. My house was flooded and needed renovations. Instead of being a normal teen and hanging out watching television, my loving family, neighbors and I worked together to pull carpet, demolish walls and clean up the mess Dolly left behind. With God and talking to friends and family, I overcame my anger and grief and survived a very difficult time in my life.

I look forward to my senior year and am excited to move on an start my higher-level education in the business world.

 

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I was born in Modesto, Calif., on Nov. 29, 1994 to Hugo and Maria Martinez. My father was in the Air Force and had been reassigned to Del Rio, Texas, around a month after I had been born.

My family stayed in Del Rio until I was around 4 years old, which was when my father was reassigned to Corpus Christi. We stayed there until I was 6 years old, which is when my parents decided to get a divorce.

My mother, older sister and I moved to Hidalgo in January, 2001. I finished kindergarten at Valley View Elementary.

My mother would work three jobs in order to provide for my sister and me. My sister would take care of me after school.

In the summer of 2002, we moved to Houston, which is where I spent second grade. In the summer of 2003 we moved back because my mother and older sister liked Hidalgo more.

Third grade was when I started extracurricular activities, particularly Number Sense UIL competition. I also was treasurer of the student council.

Fourth and fifth grade were very similar to third grade. The only real difference was the student council roles.

Sixth grade was major for me, because I was starting middle school and my older sister had moved away for college. I started taking more responsibilities at home.

I joined the school mariachi and UIL groups and stayed in them throughout middle school.

Ninth grade was important because I joined the school's robotic team and realized my love for engineering.

Now, I'm a senior in high school and a member of the school's NHS, UIL, mariachi, and robotics clubs. I also had the opportunity to become a member of MIT's MOSTEC program over the summer.

 

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MERCEDES - Natural talent and a lot of dedication set Orlando Pedraza apart.

"Over the summer I play six hours a day, just trying to qualify for all-state," he said.

His teachers admire his Olympian-size work ethic. The young musician is ranked among the top 10 students in his senior class at Mercedes High School.

"It's natural ability, desire and drive that make him express music the way that he does," said Mark Rainey, one of his music teachers.

Orlando Pedraza won first place the last four years at the Texas Music Educators Association Region 28 All-Region mariachi auditions. He also was the first member of the orchestra at his high school to earn a superior rating.

He plays the cello, and loves getting a crowd going.

"I just want to make everybody feel the music," he said.

His teachers, husband and wife Mark and Virginia Rainey don't want to see him go when he graduates.

"We'll probably cry, we'll probably end up missing him greatly," Mark Rainey said.

His parents are proud to see him following on his older brother Omar's footsteps. Every note brings joy to Juan and Josefina Pedraza.

"When my kids are playing all the songs are my favorite," said Juan Pedraza.

Orlando Pedraza's first love is the guitarron.

His favorite song is the Mexican folk song "El Rey."

"It's a classic. ... Everybody likes ‘El Rey,'" he said.

Music is king in his life. He hopes to one day help people doing what he loves.

He plans to follow his older brother Omar to the University of Texas at Brownsville.

 

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