I am Briza Gonzalez, a senior from Hoover high. I am a shy, mature, and sweet young lady who is willing to work hard and take advantage of the opportunity I have been given to live the American dream.

I was only 15 years old when I started my new life in San Diego. I didn’t have a clue that a simple summer vacation ended up being a huge impact in my life. My aunt invited me to stay in San Diego for a few weeks which unexpectedly turned out to be an opportunity to have a better life and education. I was not very conscious about all the things I had to sacrifice at the time. I had to leave behind my family, my childhood friends, basically a whole life in Tijuana.

Assimilating was very challenging because I never thought I would live in the United States so I had never spoke in English or even understood it. I have been working hard these past few years and I am now months away from attending San Diego City College focusing on becoming a dentist assistant then transferring to a university to become a dentist. I will make my family proud and make all the sacrifices they did for me worth it.