“Focus...Focus...You got this” Only five seconds left of the game, score was one to two, we were losing by one. It was all on me, if I didn’t make this everyone would remember this. This was going to be a game remember and I didn’t want to remember it because we lose but because we had won. I was running up to score I had no one guarding me, just me and the goalie. I shoot the ball as hard as I can, not really knowing if it would go in or not. Next thing I know I was getting tackled by all my teammates, and all I hear is people cheering my name. All I was thinking was I think I scored the goal. Once everyone got off of me, and hugging me, I turned to the bleachers where my parents were every game they could. I was so glad that they at least were able to make it to today’s game because it was very important to me. They had a happy and proud expression but they still looked a little worried, and I knew exactly why.

About a month ago, I was home with my parents eating breakfast when my brother came in with the mail. Lately, I had been receiving letters from colleges and scholarships, for me to play soccer for their school. But, there was only one school that I really wanted to go to, Florida State University, it had a division 1 soccer team. Everyone who watched me play soccer said that I could definitely get accepted into a division 1 school. It was on November 21, when I received the best letter that I have received in my whole life. It was a letter saying that I can go take a tour of Florida State University because I have received a scholarship to play soccer at their school.  The only thing that they ever really worried about me was that if i received a scholarship I wouldn’t be able to take it up, since I wasn’t a U.S citizen.

My parents brought me and my brothers to America from Mexico when I was only 10 months old. They have been working real hard to get us to where we are at. I admire them so much and I am so thankful for them because they started from the bottom and they have been working their way up. But two things that they have teached me is to never forget where I am from and to always have confidence and not let other people step over you.

I never really had any confidence in myself, I used to think that I wasn’t good enough to even play for a high school team. Even though people would tell me that I was good, I still didn’t believe them. Even though soccer has been my passion and favorite sport, I never played for any team. It wasn’t something that really happened in our family. But one day, out of nowhere I got enough courage to join the soccer team and well look at me now. Now im the captain of the soccer team.

Looking at my parents faces, happy but trying not show the worryness, because they are scared that tomorrow, when we go on the tour at Florida State University, i’ll end up asking if they are really going to let let me play for their school even though I am not a full citizen yet. My parents are still working with a lawyer. They tell me not to worry about it and to just focus on getting good grades and on soccer, apparently that will help me become a citizen.

I woke up bright and early, excited to go to Florida State. My parents were ready early, including my brothers some how. After eating breakfast, we got in the car and started off, it was about one hour away. I knew when we got there, everything was so beautiful and I was so excited. Someone was already waiting for us, so they could give us a tour and than after get down to serious business. It wasn’t too crowded while we were there, everyone was so nice there. My parents really liked, as well as me. When we sat down for business, they said that I would get a full paid scholarship and for sure start on the soccer team. Once they were down explaining everything, I asked the most important question… “Will I still get the full paid scholarship, even though i’m not a fully citizen yet?”. I was really nervous I felt like the it took eternity for them to answer my question. Finally, after the longest pause he said “ Well of course, you have earned this with your hard work. I don’t care about the citizen thing, you deserve this chance and you are going to get it, because we really want you to play for our school!” My whole family and I started to jump up and my mom was crying. That is the best news I had heard in my entire life. We signed everything and finished everything, and we were off.

We were on our way to eat close to our house, when my dad pulls in into a parking lot that had a lot of cars there. Somehow I end up getting blindfolded and here I am walking into some place I don’t know. Than all of a sudden I hear a “tamborazo” and “la banda” started playing. My blindfold came off and I see family friends they were all waiting for me and there is a lot, did i mention I was Mexican?

This was the best surprise I had ever received in my entire life, This had to be the best day of my life by far. And I am thankful that my parents had always kept my mexican tradition in me, always and forever. To this day spanish is still my first language and I am proud of it.

There was one thing that I wondered the whole time, how did they organize this whole party and they weren’t even sure that I was going to get the scholarship for sure. Later, I asked my parents and they said “ we had called before we went to make sure and they said yes, but we wanted it to be a surprise for you”. I am so Proud and Thankful for everything.