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By: Johnny Flores/ Coachella Unincorporated
The word ‘first’ continuously surrounded me during this past year.
For starters the University of Southern California has always been my first choice of college, and that’s where I’ll be heading this fall. There, I’ll be studying at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, which is regarded as the top school for budding young journalists like myself. I will also be the first in my family to attend college. In more proper terms, I am a first generation college bound student.
So what does this all mean?
Several months ago when I embarked on the college application process, I was scared and nervous of what lay ahead. I was unsure of what to do or where to go. I carried with me the hopes, dreams, failures and fears of those in my family who came before me. For those family members, due to various circumstances, attending and paying for college was not an option. Even finishing high school and in some cases, even making it through middle school was not an option. My family members are my inspiration to be among the first in my family to be accepted and to attend college.
Now, as an admitted student to the USC, I want to be a motivation for my younger siblings as well as all of my cousins. I want them to reach for the stars and never give up. The college application process is scary and immensely difficult. I want to a shining example of the fact that anything is possible.
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