Dolores Castaneda
September 2, 2004
Dr. Wakefield
CADV 150
Personal Narrative
I was born Dolores Elizabeth Castaneda Paiz on
December 31,1985. I was born daughter of Marco Castaneda and Blanca
Paiz. Not as lucky as I would have liked, I was born into a family
struggling to live. With my father left without a job and my mother as
the only money maker, things were really hard especially when it came
to both feeding and raising me. Luckily my family surpassed that time
of hardship. By personal opinion, my family was able to succeed with
the greatest help coming from my mother. My mother is the strongest
woman I know and I owe my life to her. She is the key to who I am. Her
love and support are what set me as a person and an individual. The
person I am today, reflects on what I have learned and done during the
course of my life.
During the time of my infancy I was raised as an
only child. Being an only child directed all the attention towards me.
However, before I turned two, I had a baby brother on the way. Instead
of thinking of my brother as an obstacle, I saw it as something I would
enjoy. My family had already had an impact on me. I learned to share
and care for others. During the time of that growth, I acted like an
older sister by trying my best to make my little brother happy. Little
things like caring for my brother have developed into greater things.
Ever since I can remember, I have been a very
involved person. I enjoy joining groups where I can meet new people and
form new bonds. In elementary school, I joined an after school program
where I would receive help with my homework and have fun with friends
during our recreation time. It was a great experience for me and a big
help for my mother who couldn't really help me since she knew very
little English. I do remember being involved in Student Council in
elementary school. It might not have been the place where I was the
most involved but it was a start. I also joined the soccer team and the
drill team during my early childhood.
Middle school was probably the place where I made
the biggest transitions. I was no longer a kid. Instead, I was becoming
a young lady with a lot on her mind. Like I mentioned before, I
developed into a very involved person. Once again I joined Student
Council. This time however, I became president of my school. Leadership
and Student Council have helped me realize that my initiative and
leadership skills are what set me as an individual. I am not satisfied
with being a follower. If I want something done, I feel I must take
that first step. I also believe that only I can make the change I want.
No one will be able to stand up for what I believe better than I.
Coming into adolescence, I furthered my involvement
in leadership. I helped plan a great deal of activities for those in my
school. During my senior year, I was in several committees where I
helped plan activities for my graduating class. I felt such a great
sense of accomplishment as I saw the activities in
action. Leadership is a quality I will endure my entire life.
Besides leadership however, my values and morals are
what define me, Dolores Castaneda. My values and morals are what I can
say are what my family has implemented on me. My values and morals
extend from honoring my family to getting a college education and from
being courteous to waiting until marriage to have sex. I grew up
knowing that respect is the key to all things in life. You must respect
others in order to be respected. But for others to respect me, I know I
must first respect myself.
My family is very important to me simply for the
reason that I am aware that they have always been present to encourage
me. Without my father, I would not feel safe. He took care of me as a
child and still does until this day. My brother is the clown of the
family. He can make any moment a funny one. My youngest brother is the
one I look after and hope that one day he will accomplish his dreams.
My mother however, has been my biggest influence. On
a daily basis, she expresses encouragement. When I was younger, the
only reason why I would be so involved was because she was always there
for me. If I needed to be at a leadership meeting, she made sure I was
there. If I had a drill team competition, she would wake up tired from
working the night before and cheer me on. She never opposed to my
involvement in things and I am very appreciative about that. It's funny
to say but my mother is my Hero. She is everything I look in a role
model. Everything I do in life is for her and I want to make her proud.
High School graduation was a significant event for both my family and
myself, but college graduation will be the ultimate achievement. And
now that I entered college, I know I am closer to that final step.
The story behind my decision to become a teacher is
a bit unusual. I traveled to Canada a few years back to visit family.
During that time I spoke a great deal with my aunt. She would tell me
about her career and how fun it was. I saw how happy she was, knowing
that soon she would receive her degree. After I arrived in Los Angeles,
I thought deep and hard about my future. Slowly I came to the
conclusion that teaching was my purpose. Deep inside my heart I knew
that teaching was what I wanted to do, but I had to travel to Canada to
realize it.
My plans for the future are very clear. I plan to
become a teacher and hope that I can be of a mother figure to my
students. I want to further my education by taking business classes.
With that in mind, I would like to open a day-care center to take care
of children when their parents can't. I hope to get married and have a
family. Ultimately, I hope to be able to be half the mother my mother
is. I know that dreams are possible and I know that I will accomplish
them. However, I also know that I have gotten this far because of two
reasons my family and my big dreams.