Michael Guerra '17 Recruiting Profile

I used to see my mother smiling everyday.   Happily preparing dinner for her family, but all that’s changed now. Recently, my mother has had to endure extreme pain from an eight-millimeter disc hernia protrusion in her lower back.  All she can do now is lay in bed in constant agony and pray to God that the pain shall go away. I can sense the pain my mom feels every time I give her a kiss, right before I leave for school. It has been tough for the whole family. My dad used to not work on Saturdays and Sundays, but since my mom can hardly stand on her own two feet my dad has to work seven days a week from 5 am to 5pm, so he could be able to pay for the rent and bills. It is hard for me to see that my father wakes up every morning completely worn-out. Knowing that my father is exhausted when he goes to work at 5am and I am up doing my homework motivates me to not live the life he is living. This teaches me that in order to live a lifestyle that you want to live in, one has to put in the work right now to be successful later in life. Seeing my mother and father in constant pain is my fuel, it is the reason why I wake up everyday and go to school.  As I am not the only one, I come form parents who are not made of money. I have lived the weeks where all we had to eat was rice and beans. Everyday, I witness my father’s expression of living off a budget. I live in a household of hard workers; where my dad struggles, but still manages to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

            My parents are my inspiration.  Their hardships fuel me to become a better person.  I want to demonstrate to them that their sacrifices have not fallen on mute ears.  I want to make them proud and inspire other young kids to work hard.  It has not been easy to achieve over a 4.0 GPA, but it is my parents work-ethic that has motivated me to work hard and continue striving for more.  It is because of them, that I want to become a better person and help those that do not have the family support to push themselves to success. 

Life has taught me that there is no mercy, life will bring you all the way down to your knees and than get a hammer and pound you down one thousand times more. I was built upon the hardships of my parents and continue to be. Through these life-altering moments I have experienced and continue to, I have learned to value that my education is the most important tool to my success as in acquiring a lifestyle in which I want to live in.