What if Thomas Edison would have given up after his 552nd attempt to invent the light bulb? Perhaps we’ll still be lighting candles during the darkness, countless inventions would only be a rumor, and this sentence would have been written on a typewriter rather than a computer, since the typewriter doesn’t need electricity. Edison kept trying and tried one-thousand times until the light bulb illuminated. What’s more inspiring is what Edison had to say to a reported who asked him, “How did you feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Someone said to me once: “dare to take risks,” and that’s exactly what I did. Throughout the seven years that I’ve been living in the U.S. I’ve experienced several disadvantages that undocumented immigrants face daily. I recall that during High School, I was rejected to several clubs and unique opportunities only because I couldn’t fill out the social security box. The same occurred when I applied for a job and a driving license it was rare for me to find an open door. Last autumn, I knew that I would probably not go very far without that alien number, but I still decided to take the risk to apply to colleges that were out of my league in terms of cash.

I decided to take the risk and not have a plan B, because “plan B” meant staying at home. Furthermore, I yearned with going away from home and leave behind me all the trouble and drama that occurs there. I knew that my parents’ constant quarrels would become a greater impediment in different aspects of my life, but most importantly, I questioned whether if I would be able to fully concentrate on my studies? For the first time, I desire more autonomy in my life, learn without interruptions, and explore freely the different passions that allow me to express myself as an individual. It all sounded so simple and easy, but that wasn’t the outcome. The result was rather disappointing and I must add that it was “rough” for me to accept the hateful reality that I had no place to go after High School.

Nevertheless, I ought to recognize that since I took a risk it was either win or lose and this time I lost. Although, I did felt defeated, ashamed, and I fear that anyone at school would dare to ask me: “where are you going?” Because, I would only begin to tremble and my mind would turn utterly blank. But, soon all those feelings vanished and I understood that I had to get back on my feet. The road to success contains several stones that may challenge my character and even have the potential to make me stumble, but if reaching the finish line is my goal then I must rise once again. Besides, stumbling is part of our life; didn’t Dr. Seuss fail to get published twenty-seven times? Didn’t Oprah Winfrey have many setbacks when she was starting her career? One of those stumbles was when she was fired from her job as a television reporter because she was “unfit for TV.” Or Vincent Van Gogh, who only succeed in selling one of his paintings during his lifetime, however did that stop him from completing more than two-thousand works? No. Failing has not halted my driving passion for life and for trying.

Guess what? I’m no longer embarrassed to admit that I fell down, because I’m certain I tried my best. I think failing has allowed me to strengthen my character and to understand, from a very early age, that life is filled with that word we all quiver when we heard it, “failure.” But it’s important that whenever we fail, to see it as just another step until the light bulb shines its bright light, the way Edison said.