ANGEL TORRES
8th  Grade                                Mabel G. Holmes Middle School
14 years old                                                                                        Ms. Walton

“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore and then run”.

This is a quote by Langston Hughes.  This quote is one that I can relate to.  I am Angel Torres and like Langston Hughes, I have a dream. Now I feel that I can accomplish this dream thanks to positive role models like Johnny Torres, Mr. Martinez, and Ms. D’Agostino.

I appreciate the role models that shared their life stories, especially Mr. Martinez.  I can relate with him because we share some of the same experiences.  Mr. Martinez had friends that gangbanged, and so do I.  In the past I have hung around with the wrong crowd, but now I spend time in church.

Mr. Martinez had an impact in my life.  Everything he went through, I was going through.  He made me realize how important it is to never give up, not matter what situation you are in.  He is now a successful director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation.  I now know I can fulfill my dream and be a positive person.

My life will change because of the presentation.  The presentation made me think about my future and the opportunities there are in life.  Now I want to focus in school.  I highly appreciate the presenters for taking the time to share their stories.

So what happens to a dream deferred?  It dies.  I refuse to allow my dream to be deferred.  My dream is to become a forensic scientist.  I will accomplish my dream by never giving up.  I will stay positive and finish school but most of all keep my faith in God.



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BRENDA JUAREZ
8th  Grade                                 Mabel G. Holmes Middle School
13 years old                                                                                         Ms. Hazuda

 

I have a dream that one day in the future I will become a pediatrician.  Being a pediatrician takes a lot of work and a lot of patience.  I, myself, am willing to accept any challenges in life to achieve my dream and be successful.  There will always be things and even people trying to bring me down, but as long as I keep my head up and believe in myself as much as God believes in me, I know I can become a pediatrician.

Johnny Torres, Alminda D’Agostino, and Gerson Martinez are very important people that experienced so much while reaching for their dreams.  But as they say, if you work hard, you can accomplish whatever you want.  I found Gerson’s speech very entertaining and compassionate.  Although he was once poor and lived in a very bad neighborhood with troubled friends, he did not let anything bring him down.  Gerson is the chairperson of the Education Committee and Commissioner of the NJ Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission in Trenton.  He lived through a very rough life and went through many obstacles in life.

My life can relate to his life because I once lived in a bad neighborhood and had many troubled friends.  I have been through so much in my life at this age, but I will not let it bring me down.  The purpose of the assembly was that no matter who you are, we are all similar and everybody can achieve their dreams as long as they work hard.

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GRISELDA MENJIVAR
8th  Grade                                Mabel G. Holmes Middle School
13 years old                                                                                        Ms. Walton

 

On June 15, 1993 my mother looked down at me and said “I have a dream for you”.  Her dream was for me to live a happy life. I am Griselda Menjivar and I, like Mr. Martinez, was born in El Salvador.  My parents are my role models, but now I have three more.  Mr. Martinez, Ms. D’Agostino and Mr. Torres have had a major influence on me.  They have helped me understand the importance of school.

I understood that even if you are poor you can achieve.  Mr. Torres said that Anna Escobedo Cabral was a poor Mexican woman, but now she places her signature on all of the dollar bills.  I too come from a poor Salvadorian family, just like Mr. Martinez.  Now I believe I can one day be as successful as Mrs. Cabral.

By sharing their life stories my role models have made me think about my future.  Now I believe I can achieve if I try hard, I have learned that I should believe in myself, and to never let anyone crush my dreams.  In addition, I have learned that you can have fun but you must also study.  I admire all three of the role models for their accomplishments.

Their presentation has inspired me to succeed. I am not going to let anyone stop me from accomplishing my dreams.  I am going to study harder so that my dreams can come true.

My dream is to become an actress.  With the money I earn, I will help poor people who are less fortunate.  If I cannot become an actress, I want to be a lawyer, to help innocent people. I want to thank my parents, my teachers, and my role models.  With their help and God I will succeed.

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GEORGE TRAVINSKY
8th  Grade                                Mabel G. Holmes Middle School
13 years old                                                                                        Ms. Hazuda

 

Hello my name is George Travinsky and I was born and raised in Elizabeth.  The assembly really did impact my life.  It really proved to me that any person in my situation can do something good and productive in life.  I have been involved in gangs. I have been involved with drugs and I used to drink a lot.  I have been “jumped” so many times.  I have already been in the hospital for that.  I have already gotten a knife pulled on me and been threatened to be stabbed.

Now I am changing my life.  I got out of that gang, stopped drinking and stopped dealing drugs.  Now I have my life on the right track.  I admit that there were times that I thought that I could do it, I did have doubts.  I thought I was in too deep, but looking at Gerson Martinez’s experiences really proved to me I can do it and I can just “build a life apart from that life”.  He really grew up just like me and accomplished so much.  Let me just say that this assured me that I can make it.

I already have talked to my teachers about going to college and am looking at Kean University or Rutgers University to attend.  Right now I am looking to become a teacher or lawyer.


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MARILYN TOLEDO
7th  Grade                                Mabel G. Holmes Middle School
12 years old                                                                             Mr. Androlowics

 

The presentation that both of the role models spoke in was very interesting.  The role moles’ experiences relate to my own life because I came to the United States, but my family had to work very hard to pay money for our house.  Also, it relates to mine because people were bugging me a lot because I did not know how to speak English well.  That really surprised me because both of the role models were talking about that and how hard it was.

Their life stories impacted me a lot because they were giving us examples of how hard it was for them to go to college, but they tried their best to make it through.  What also impacted me was the way that they explained their stories and how good they feel to let others know their stories.  This really impacted me because I like having the feeling that I can make it through like they did, so then when I get older like them, I can show others my story, like they did and show people that I made it.  Since they taught me that I can make it, and that I should not to be afraid, my life has changed.  Because of this presentation, I am a new person, and I believe in myself.

The only dream that I have is to go to college, pass all of the grades and become an actress. What I must definitely do to reach this dream is to be good in class, listen to role models, and become and actress.

 

Thank you role models!

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