I grew up in a small city, just near the border of Mexico. Life, as you can probably tell, wasn't easy for me - or anyone living there for that matter. It's not the place that sucks, but the people in it that suck. (In a non-offensive manner). They're emotionally worn out, tired of a long hard day; I'd see it every time i'd pass by. It's as if they've lost any type of hope to go on. In a way, they seemed angry with themselves. I guess that's why they would direct their anger among each other. Growing up in an environment like this I had to teach myself that life was actually better than what I was being exposed to but to be honest, I already had that loser mentality installed within me. I wanted to get out of there so badly. It was all I could think about. I dreamed about living in a different place, any place far away. "You can dream", people would tell me. "but not a lot of people make it out".My uncle calls it a trap. Luckily, he made it out. If you could only see him now ...

There is something about living in that place, though, that shuts down any form of aspiration you may have. Those that make it out say that they've changed for the better and those who've stayed remain the same exact way.

It's been four years since I came to know the reality of this trap and maturing has given me the opportunity to make decisions for myself. I made it out ...

Looking back now, I am grateful to have been raised there. I might've taken it for granted. If I hadn't been raised in that place, I probably wouldn't have had this motivation and desire to be better, to achieve greater. Being in a place that had the potential to destroy me turned me into the true warrior I am now. Not only did I get through the misery, but I now get to share the good things to others around me.

So to my people back in Brownsville: Don't give up. It's okay to dream. We might've been named the poorest city in America but that doesn't mean we're worthless. If you want to put yourself out there, do it. If you want to start a business, do it. Do it all. Although it may sound cliche, don't let anything or anyone stop you from doing what you want to do. It's time for us to rise up as the community we truly are and encourage each other instead of bringing each other down. Making each other smile instead of giving each other yet another reason to feel like we need to move away. One day, I will be back. And I hope to see happiness reflecting off of every single person there. I hope I will be happy living there too.