I spent the majority of my time with ACE, designing and planning the construction of a model building on the campus of Columbia University. I began to wonder what is it that I wanted to do. My mind wandered throughout my first year in high school and made me think about what I wanted to do as a profession. My mother wanted me to go to college, get a degree, and get a high-paying job. I don't think she understood the entire process of getting into college and then actually going there. As I am the oldest son and I am hoping to be the first one in my whole family to go to college, the pressure on my back was a bit heavy. But over time I would get used to it and use it as fuel to get a higher education. After careful consideration and thinking about what my strengths and weaknesses were, I concluded wanting to pursue a career in the construction field having the skills required to work in a trade like electrical, plumbing, or carpentry work. Neither of my parents was impressed by this and instead thought I should aim for higher and try to become a General Contractor or higher ranking. I looked into careers around construction and set my eyes on becoming an Architect. Nearing the end of my freshman year, the COVID Pandemic hit the United States, and although I did not lose any close relatives of mine. My mentality had developed a lot into being more self-aware and focused on what I needed to do. I told my father how I wanted to buy myself a pair of Air Jordan 4s. As he was handing me money to go and buy the shoes, my mother intervened and told me to go work for them. I was only 15 years old and my mother had managed to convince my father into taking me to work with him to teach me the value of working and having a job. I had only performed once before this and I had a very small understanding of what these guys put themselves through to support their families. We would clock in around 7 am and I remember one day in that week, I felt sore and tired as I woke up, my father told my mom to let me sleep a little later and she would come to drop me off. I did not want to be treated any differently than the other workers just because my father was the foreman, So I jumped off my bed, and almost fell into the closet. I grabbed my pants, and my boots and put on thick layers of clothes as I worked during my mid-winter recess and it was very cold. I got into the van without a second thought and told my dad that we should get going before we get late. I worked as hard as I could and as best as I could so they would not baby me on the job site as I had many of my uncles and my grandfather working there too. I did not want to come home and have my parents tell me that I have it easy because people I know are there. The way they worked in that weather and continued to work year-round while the architects and construction managers would only have to review and draw up plans made me feel like I had to make it.

I hope to become a respectable young man and someone that is very connected and well networked.

I have worked at all levels in the construction industry, I am the son of a masonary foreman and the grandson of a bricklayer. I have always felt that construction and just building things in general was for me. So for the summer after my 8th grade I spent most of my time with ACE, architecture, engineering and construction mentorship program that I was able to apply and get into. At ACE we began designing and planning the construction of a model building on the campus of Columbia University. My mother wanted me to go to college, get a degree, and get a high-paying job. Being a first-generation college applicant and a first generation Ecuadorian-American, the pressure on my back was a bit heavy. But over time I would get used to it and use it as fuel to get into programs that would help me reach a higher education and allow me to network with proffesionals in a field I wanted to pursue. I am going to pursue a career in the construction field, I have learned the skills needed to work in a trade like electrical, plumbing, or carpentry work by working with The Boys Club of New York but I wanted to aim for higher and try to become a General Contractor or someone that oversees projects. I looked into careers around construction and set my eyes on becoming an Architect. I had only worked once in hands on construction before, as the assistant to bricklayers, and I had a very small understanding of what these guys put themselves through to support their families. We would clock in around 7 am and I remember one day in that week, I felt sore and tired as I woke up, my father told my mom to let me sleep a little later and she would come to drop me off. I did not want to be treated any differently than the other workers just because my father was the foreman, So I jumped off my bed, and almost fell into the closet. I grabbed my pants, and my boots and put on thick layers of clothes as I worked during my mid-winter recess and it was very cold. I got into the van without a second thought and told my dad that we should get going before we get late. I worked as hard as possible and as best as possible so they would not baby me on the job site as I had many of my uncles and grandfather working there too. I did not want to come home and have my parents tell me that I have it easy because people I know are there. The way they worked in that weather and continued to work year-round while the architects and construction managers would only have to review and draw up plans made me feel like I had to make it.

Trying to figure out who I am, who i represent, and who I want to be is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I grew up in busy NYC, where it seems like anyone can be anything, and although true, growing up in the city was something that I took advamtage of because I was able to network with people across the city. New York City, the melting pot of the world, notorious for the amount of migrants and immigrants that set foot on their soil. People from across the world come to visit the city daily, explore all its wonders and experience all the foods, drinks, and cultures within it. I hop on the train from Queens to go to downtown Manhattan, I get to visually see the difference of both boroughs of New York. Queens is very populated with immigrants and very culturally diverse all the while being pretty quiet. Meanwhile Manhattan is very compact, loud, and bright, the city lights are hard to look away from. As the eldest son of two Ecuadorians who came to this country to find a better life for themselves, I had always had the pressure to be someone better than them and to be someone in life. To my parents that meant a hard working and dedicated student that would prioritize school above my own personal desires. This conflict of interests really challenged me emotionally and mentally and then this just took a toll on me physically. There were times where I was forced to make a decision and although my heart, which holds my culture, my flag, and my country told me to do something, my head and my better understanding and moral kept making me go the other way. My mother would scold me and say that this was my ego and my selfishness that make me the way I am, I tend to disagree a lot with her and do things my way to get the job done. What she calls lazy is what I would call efficiency, I would do things a different way from what she was used to and she would get upset because it would be the "Right" way. I would always want to please my parents, but I knew there were other, more efficient ways to get things done. But although I would get things done my way, my feelings would always be hurt, because my own mother would tell me things that made me feel like I am not what she wants me to be. I am very stubborn, but I also allowed my creativity to help me get things done, I did not want to put too much time and effort into things that were not something that I personally didn't want to do. I would very much try to be the way they want me to be, but I know that I will hold on to that forever and be unhappy with myself. I have finally talked to my mom and let her know what I feel and why I act the way I act, Although at first hard for us to find a middle ground, I am happy that she finally supports me in the way I do things. The amount of things that we were able to get done, achieve, and work on have just been great. I have found my piece of mind by doing things to please her but also finding the time to do things that I want to do that she may not like but make me happy.

One of the biggest challenges in my community would be trying to bridge the gap between first generation latino-americans and those who traveled to this country. One of the main challenges would be a language barrier as many people in my community are fluent in Spanish but dont speak English well, while the younger generation who were born here and went to school here speak fluent English, but a very broken Spanish. A lot of these kids are laughed at by the older people and they feel like they dont fit in. This only worsens things as then they dont help establish a relationship between these two very distinctive ways of thinking, making one side feel superior to the other whilst the other does not know how to communicate well what they feel. The value of respect and understanding is vital in this because both groups were raised quiet differently in terms of location but also with what level of education they recieve. Respect was crucial in my upbringing, my mother said that it was the most important thing in the world. So I do everything I can to earn the respect of everyone I meet. But one of my hardest tasks was trying to earn the respect of Older people in Latino culture who often look down at 1st generation Latino Americans for being soft. So I started working, putting down bricks right next to them to earn the respect of those older than me, to let them know that I work for what I have and carry my own weight. This is not always what happens. A lot of the kids in my community get swept up by gangs, drugs, and violence. This has become a cycle, where the child does not know how to communicate his needs and the parents are too hard at work to ask their child if they are okay. In turn these kids have no where else to turn but their friends, who may not all be doing the best things. I feel that this needs to be talked to a lot more as there needs to be relationships established between the older people and the younger ones. I have been trying to get my friends to join clubs and take their minds off of things by going to the gym or going out to play soccer, I feel that building a relationship between each other and trying to eliminate the presence of violence, gangs, and drugs will really help us grow. Soccer has especially been impactful as the younger generations get to show off their talents to the older generations who may enjoy watching them play and the quick pace, creativity, and competitiveness that comes with being young. I hope that we can build a better relationship with those older than us as well as find ways to grow as a community and as a people.

I hope to pursue a career in the construction field and oversee the projects that I am given. I have taken initiative to get some experience in construction fields like architecture, working on a construction site, and trades like framing, carpentry, and electrical work. But this was a process I went through and it all started when. I spent the majority of my 8th Grade summer with ACE, designing and planning the construction of a model building on the campus of Columbia University. I began to wonder what is it that I want to do. My mind wandered throughout my first year in high school and made me think about what I wanted to do as a profession. My mother wanted me to go to college, get a degree, and get a high-paying job. I don't think she understood the entire process of getting into college and then actually going to college. As I am the oldest son and I am hoping to be the first one in my whole family to go to college, the pressure on my back was a bit heavy. But over time I would get used to it and use it as fuel to get a higher education. After careful consideration and thinking about what my strengths and weaknesses were, I concluded wanting to pursue a career in the construction field having the skills required to work in a trade like electrical, plumbing, or carpentry work. Neither of my parents was impressed by this and instead thought that I should aim for higher and try to become a General Contractor or any higher ranking. I looked into careers around construction and set my eyes on becoming an Architect. I am the son of a Foreman and the Grandson of a Masonry who puts up bricks. I believe that the construction industry as a whole is just something that I was meant to get into. But instead of the hands-on labor that my father and grandfather go through, I feel that it is my responsibility to retire them. With all this stigma that Latinos are all meant to be construction workers, I would find it really fun to completely go against this stereotype and be the one designing the projects or overseeing it, instead of actually building it. I have always had a feeling that I must do more than just the bare minimum and pursuing a career in project management, engineering and architecture will give me a boost and also help boost the Latinx community letting them know that anything is possible. This feeling of being a first gen is empowering and I hope to lead by example to all those other young hispanic children who are first generation Latino-Americans.

I have been dancing with almost seeing death since I was a boy, Fell out of the car a few times, Actually almost died choking on a few small toy, My mother has said I have passed out sometimes She was always worried that she'll lose me one day But I always look at her and said, "Mami no te preucupes, yo nunca de dejare" She would laugh and just hug me while I lay on my bed I will turn 18 in August and now I see everything to a different lense Everything is more complicated and less friendlier than what I remember I thought everyone had good intentions, even my closest friends I remember I had my first girlfriend in late december, Those 3 years in middle school were eye opening and enlightning But I haven't seen anything yet or had a taste of being independent I watched my friends who I thought were forever leave as fast as they came I couldn't do anything but feel my heart in such pain High School was a different story I thought it was like in the movies but I was so boring I wanted to go back to the old days but now they are just old stories My mother and father are getting older and older now they are both entering their forty's Life came at me fast but I am ready I hope to be able to experience new things and prepare for the worst Life has rewarded me for all my hard work I used to think all this bad luck meant I was cursed Until I learned about the effects of karma, the good and the bad It made me appreciate everything I've ever achieved and had I now prepare for the adult life I want to have a big family with kids and a wife But I don't want my kids to grow up like me I lived in my own head because I was too scared to face reality I hadn't learn hard life lessons till I turned 17 Hopefully I wont screw up and have a long lasting legacy I have so much to prove and so much to do I know I can't settle for the bare minimum and i have bigger dreams to pursue So I pray god gives me his blessings to keep me going I give thanks to everything he gives The things that make my smile dim and keep me glowing I hope that he shows me mercy and forgives As I have made mistakes too But my family needs me and I'm tired of this lifestyle and want something better and new.

Integrety means to be able to stand for something and represent an idea, people, or culture without feeling shame or running away from the consequences of representing things. This is crucial to me and is very important in my life. Being a first generation Ecuadorian-American has really put me in a challenge where I have at times questioned who I am and where do I belong. I go to a predominently white school and that is where I was able to really figure out who it is that I am and wehre I belong. I have been a crucial part in sports teams, and it is there where even when losing and being in a low spot, I played for the badge that I wore on my chest and knew that better times were coming. In our Fall Soccer Season, we started off losing our first 3 games consecutively, many people began dropping the team because they lost all hope in making it into the playoffs. We went from winning back to back championships in the previous 2 tournaments to being bottom of the table. There was a lot of criticism because of this and a lot of blame was put on us for relying too much on past seniors to carry teh school. I felt some weight on my shoulders as we had to win our next games and rely on the results of the other schools to make it to play offs, We won our next 4 games convincingly and beating 1st, 3rd, and 4th place teams in the table. Unfortunatly we were knocked out on head-to-head results but this is only a stepping stone for us, we are going to come back stronger next season, like we always do, and I am proud to represent my school.