There are three people that live in my house (well, now four because my cousin moved in, but most of what I am going to talk about relates to the past). My mom, my abuelita and little, old me. "The three generations" is what people call us when we all go out together. I guess that’s a traditional size for an American family, but we’re far from traditional and American for that matter! I was raised in a single parent household by two incredible strong Mexican women.

My mom has been working ever since she was 19 or so and for the last 40 some years, work has come to be the only thing she ever does. I remember, when I was very young, the times I got to spend with my mom were very limited and I spent more time with my abuelita than with my own mother. Even now at the age of 59, she works 7 days a week without rest to make sure that I can have something that she was never able to have: An education. Day in and day out, she has shown me through sweat, tears and doctor appointments that I must do better for my sake and for the sake of my future family. Don’t get us wrong, we are very much happy in our little house that houses our little family, but at times, in certain situations, it can be very hard for us to keep up. Especially in the finance department.

Luckily, I have been blessed to be able to attend the high school that I attended and to be able to attend the amazing college that I am currently enrolled in. It is not easy, both academically and mentally. Academically is a given, but why mentally? I don’t know about others in similar situations, but there is so much pressure behind all of this for me. There are people that expect you to be the best at everything. There are people that still have this past image of yourself that you have since left behind, whether intentionally or not. I am a first generation-working class student, so that alone is buckets full of pressure because I have the need to show that I do have the potential and the right to be among well-off smart people that may not know the exact details that people from my category have to live through. And last, but not least, there’s the people you have at home, in this case my abuelita and my mom, who want the absolute best for me. But what keeps me going, even in the times that I just want to drop everything and give up? My two special ladies, of course!

My abuelita, Mamá Fina, has been my second mother ever since I was six months old, when my parents filed for their divorce. My mom sent me to Mexico for the sake of not leaving me in the hands of strangers while she went to work (you see we Mexicans, like any other Latino culture, are very VERY family oriented). I spent the first 3/4 years of life there surrounded with family making my first memories. And where was my mom? Here in the states. Alone. Working hard to send money back to the mothership, and not just for me! For her mom (Mamá Fina), her sisters (my tías) and her niece and nephews (my primos). That was the “American Dream” that my mom wished for when she first came to the states, to provide for her family and any possible additions to it, aka me. Eventually, I came back to the states with both my mom and Mamá Fina and have been in Los Angeles ever since.

There were times when I was younger that I didn’t understand why my mom didn’t spend any time at home. I would ask Mamá Fina, who was always cooking, cleaning the house, or looking after me while my mom was away and her response was always the same, “Porque te ama.” Because she loves you.

They are both my light and my everything. Everything that I am today is because of them and I couldn’t be prouder of that fact. I have seen all of the sacrifices that both of them have made for my sake and couldn’t be more grateful. They are the reason why I keep on going. They are the reason why when I fail, it hurts so much. It’s because I’m not only failing myself, but them as well. I have to keep going. Like I said before, it is very hard, but for them I’d do anything. Why? Porque las amo. Because I love them.