“Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. Stretching out my hand to greet her, she reiterated my name, “Mr. Luis Roberto Ursua class salutatorian.”
Clear as day, wind breaking upon my face silencing my voice as I spoke out into a crowd of thousands, “This is our day ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2012. The last eighteen years of our lives, everything we’ve accomplished, everything we’ve been through, has led us to today…“ Reading these words aloud, encouraged that I had made a difference; that my work ethic finally paid off. This was meant to be an honor. Here I was 4.8 grade point average, all honors classes, ran student government, and some of the most successful blood drives my school had ever seen and no way to do anything with it. I looked watching peoples’ reaction. Their faces towards mine, waiting for me to continue—and so I did.”
To see the entire article, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/american-dreamers/stories/luis-roberto-ursua-briceno