Undergraduate / "Mrs. Rystedt" - someone that made an impact in my life and how it is important to me [3]

Life is all about experiences and the way we handle them. People we meet throughout life are often forgotten but there are always certain people who stay and make some sort of impact in our lives. In my case, there is one special woman who had impacted my life like no one else has and has helped to shape the way I am today. Cynthia Rystedt is her name, and she has been influencing my life since fourth grade.

Cynthia Rystedt or as I call her Mrs. Rystedt had always been there for me when I need someone to talk too. When I first came to the United States, there was hardship after hardship and I never thought I would ever get a break but then Mrs. Rystedt came along to simplify my life for good. She was the only person I felt comfortable speaking my broken English knowing I wasn't going to get a rude remark back of how ugly it sounded. I could actually give her credit for me learning English. She would force me to speak English even though she understood Spanish and I thank her for that. During year and half in elementary school she was my guardian angel no matter where I was at. Every time I was around her I would feel a sense of security and love. She was like my mom while in school and she soon became an extremely close friend of my family which I loved.

She was the one who introduced me to the game of chess which I soon became to love. She would always have an eye on me and once again she is the reason why I became so good at the game. She would always ask my opinion about the coaches and I appreciated that. While in middle school she would always ask me to go back to her elementary to help her kids learn chess and I gladly accept. She would always say to me, "Jose Ricardo, you are going to see one of these days you will be a successful man." I honestly can't say enough about this lady, she has been there for me when even my friends or parents couldn't.

Mrs. Rystedt simply brings the best out of me every time I visit her. She inspires me because of the dedication and love she has for her job. She has no need to drive 30 minutes every day from her house to work in a country school but yet does it because she loves kids. I appreciate her most because of what she has done for my mother. I have witness the struggle it is for a ten year old to learn a different language, but it's even harder for a 46 year old to learn English once she has been used to speaking Spanish her whole life. Mrs. Rystedt encourages my mother to attend ESL (English Second Language) classes so she could get a decent job instead of having to struggle in part-time jobs. She calls her twice a week to check up on her progress and I truly appreciate that.

When I first came to the United States I was enraged at the world but now I thank God for moving us to this small city of San Benito, Texas. I honestly cannot imagine my life without her. Now that I am in high school, I still find time to go three times a week to volunteer at her school to teach her kids about chess. Even though I don't consider myself as the greatest role model, she always tells her kids about my struggles, how I overcame them and how successful I am now. Even though it might be embarrassing at times, she calls me, "The honor roll student." I feel proud to be used as an example by her because she truly means it.

Mrs. Rystedt has made an extremely important impact in my life since I was a child and she has not stopped since then. I love that lady with all of my heart and I thank God for putting her in my life.

Undergraduate / "drug shootings and kidnappings, Mexico-Texas" - issue of importance to me [3]

People run into their homes looking for safety. Senseless bullets are shot bouncing from cars and houses causing damages to property and killing people. Hell is once again invoked as drug dealers massacre their own people while seeking to gain more power at the cost of blood. The world is full of issues that affect people in general. An issue that caught my attention was the drug problem in northern Mexico. This is a highly controversial topic in my region that has cost the lives of hundreds of people in this past year alone. I started realizing that even though it's a Mexican problem, it has the capability of being southern Texas problem as well. I worry that the shootings will expand to Southern Texas soon because there are literally dozens of shootings every week near the border.

I attend the Mathematics and Science Academy which is located inside the University of Texas at Brownsville. This University is literally located inches away from the international bridge that connects Mexico to the United States. The shootings over drug cartels are only getting worse on the Mexican side of the border and its now affecting the University. School has been cancelled or been in lockdown several times because of this issue. I was astonished to find out that last year it got to the point where a bullet landed in the University's pool causing it to go on lockdown.

These drug shootings not only scare me but frustrate me as well. Even though I love Mexico because that's where I was born, the fact that the government is so unorganized and incapable of stopping the vicious drug lords is disappointing. In my opinion, the problem is that for years the government would allow the drug dealers to smuggle drugs across the border and other parts of Mexico without any consequences because of how corrupt the government was; now that Mexico has a strong leader and actually wants to stop the drug dealing business once in for all it angers the drug lords and causes those horrible massacres. The thing that worries me the most is that my family lives in Matamoros (a border city in northern Mexico).They are exposed to those shootings every day, and they have no idea when they are going to take place. It's a shocking experience when I go visit my family because of how notable the bullet holes on their walls are.

Even though my family has experienced property damage, I thank the Lord that they haven't gotten injured in any shooting. I am astonished by the fact that my aunt, who lives in constant fear of either getting shot, kidnapped, or robbed every single day still has not lost faith in the Mexican government. Every time we would go visit my grandmother, she would have what I thought were fictional stories of people being killed by cartels, but now that I have experienced it firsthand it is hard not to believe her. I honestly wished the United States would help Mexico handle this situation because the more it is prolonged, the more innocent people die. I find it unfair how people that work hard for their money and have families get killed daily because of useless drug dealers demanding more power. A lot of people take life in the United States for granted without realizing how lucky they are to have a government that protects them. I am thankful for living in a country where our safety is better protected and the government has a zero tolerance for corruption but I still feel for my family and their friends who struggle every day because of the inconsistency in the Mexican government.