My dad migrated to the states back in 1984 and initially he started working in the fields through an uncle of ours who said he could get him a job. My dad said that he dreaded going into the fields because of how demanding the job was physically. He never wavered from doing what was asked from him, he knew he came to California for a better future for his family. I was born in 1988 and by then my father had started working in a factory and began sewing clothes in this factory. Both my parents have always been hard working blue collar people, I always brag about making hard work look easy because I'm Mexican. The truth is that I am very fortunate that my parents came to the states, working in the field was the best thing that could happen to my father because it gave him a start. Being hard working is something that I believe is was born with. Now I work at Saint John's in heart surgery and am able to help my parents out as they continue to work blue collar jobs. While working at the hospital i continued my education at a community college in order to increase my science undergraduate gpa in order to apply for graduate school in a highly competitive field. I got rejected for two years straight from the program I wanted to attend. Much like my father, I never gave up and knew that reaching my goal would take an immense amount of effort. Last December I got accepted to Rush University in Chicago for a masters program in cardiovascular perfusion. The feeling upon reading my acceptance was the most rewarding feeling ever. I told myself most people would have given up, my colleagues asked why I didn't pursue a program as a Physician assistant or as a nurse. I never gave up because I knew what I wanted to become and I wasn't afraid to fail and work my tail off to get accepted. To this day, my mother works for Guerrero tortillas and my dad is retired now. Their work ethic is what motivates me the most and I believe that I inherited that from them. Growing up with two siblings in East Los Angeles has made me a better man, the fields made my father a better man and I am excited to start Perfusion school this August. I know that I will succeed and that my educational goals will continue after my MBS. A lot of people really only need one opportunity. For my father it was the fields and for me it has been the University of California educational system and Rush University for giving me the opportunity and believing in me. I can't wait to see where things go from here, but I've been built to take on any challenge that lies ahead.