“No English.” Those were the words I used to pronounce when I was a freshman in high school. No doubt English is one of the subjects in which I have excelled the most.
When I got into high school, I had only been living here for three months, and I did not speak English. The first day of school I felt glad to see so many Hispanic faces. I thought having a peer group would make my social and educational life easier. I was wrong. When I tried to talk to Hispanic people in the school I noticed their Spanish was extremely poor; their sentences did not make sense, and they invented many words. I did not understand them and they did not understand me. Some of them did not speak Spanish at all. It was shocking! Being Hispanic and not speaking Spanish in my opinion was a shame.

My parents kept encouraging me to learn English as soon as possible. So I did. They bought me books and videos to accelerate the process. I knew it was fundamental to speak English in order to succeed in America. I put all my effort in school. I took English as a Second Language classes. I studied with a firm determination.
During my sophomore year, I had a wonderful teacher. She was the individual who taught me how to speak English. Very patiently she taught me how to pronounce the “th” sound, which was very hard for me. Today, she is one of the people I esteem the most, and my role model. Since we were both immigrants, we shared the same desire and drive to succeed in this new land and new language.

Today, I am still working to expand my vocabulary, as well as heling others. I feel very fortunate to be able to help peers who are in the situation I was some time ago. I clearly remember the desperation I used to feel when I could not speak English. That is why when I see someone who does not speak English I try to help as much as I can, and try to encourage the person not to give up.

I discovered that being capable of expressing ones ideas clearly is a most precious ability. I continue to be dedicated to improving my language skills. Fluency is not enough for me; I want to become a person who speaks with skill and style.
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19. Discuss the subjects in which you excel or have excelled. To what factors do you attribute your success? Use specific examples to illustrate how you succeeded.

“No English.” Those were the words I used to pronounce when I was a freshman in high school. No doubt English is one of the subjects I have excelled the most. When I got into high school I had only been living here for three months, and I did not speak English. I have had a very hard time in high school. The first day of school I felt glad to see many Hispanic faces. I thought it would be easier to have a social and educational life. I was wrong. When I tried to talk to Hispanic people in the school I noticed their Spanish was extremely poor; their sentences did not make sense, and they invented many words. I did not understand them and they did not understand me. Some of them did not speak Spanish at all. It was shocking! Being Hispanic and not speaking Spanish in my opinion was a shame.

My parents kept encouraging me to learn English as soon as possible. So I did. They bought me books and videos to accelerate the process. I knew it was fundamental to speak the language in this nation in order to succeed. I put all my effort in school. I took English Second Language classes. I studied very firmly. During my sophomore year, I had the greatest teacher. She was the individual who taught me how to speak English. Very patiently she taught me how to pronounce the “th” sound, which seemed very hard to me. Today, she has become one of the people I esteem the most. She is a role model for me. We have many things in common; she immigrated from Poland many years ago. She was as excited and capable as I am to become successful. At present she has reached her objectives, she is a professional.
Indeed, school has been my main source of learning. Today, I am still working in my vocabulary so I will make my English wider. I feel very fortunate to be able to help peers who are in the situation I was some time ago. When I did not speak English I clearly remember the desperation I used to feel. That is why today, when I see someone who does not speak English I try to help as much as I can, and try to encourage the person not to resign.
During the time I have spent in school, I discovered that being capable of expressing ones ideas clearly is one of the most precious ability. At the moment I am working firmly on my language skills. Speaking and being understood is not enough for me. I want to become a person who speaks in a grandiose way.