Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Juan

Helping Others: A Product of Aldine
by Juan Herrera

As a community, we suffer from a bystander syndrome when it comes to the problems that actively damage those around us in Aldine. Driving down Little York or Aldine Mail Route, I consistently see homeless people asking for money at stoplights. I can’t remember how many times I’ve driven past these people, wondering why my parents wouldn’t just roll down the window and hand them a dollar or two, only to be told that my parents worked hard for their cash, why should they hand it out?

We’ve become so accustomed to seeing accidents, shootings, fires, and more in Aldine that we’ve numbed ourselves to it.  Every year, a MacArthur student dies because there are no proper sidewalks for them to walk on, and every year someone is shot over something as minor as a verbal disagreement. Why do we continue to allow these sorts of things to keep happening, wouldn’t you think that we’d be more open to talk about this, to raise our voices and say, “That’s enough?”

I’d love to work with the community to find out why we continue to look the other way when tragedy strikes, why we look the other way when there are people that are in obvious need. I understand the need for survival because I grew up in the same area as the rest of Aldine but wouldn’t we better our community if we decided to help each other out? Wouldn’t it be better if we were less complicit in the ailments of our community and attempted to help our neighbors more?

My father came from a Mexican working-class family that owned a farm and only grew what they needed to survive so he’s always put himself and his family as priority number one. My mother grew up in a wealthier family in Mexico but with the lack of a paternal figure in her life she always had to look out for her sisters. My parents raised me to always think of myself first and then helping others and growing up being raised by my parents in Aldine only accentuated this feeling.

Being more aware of Aldine has made more concerned with helping my neighbors. I wanted to help people like those girls’ families. I plan on going into the criminal justice field by majoring in Criminology and pursuing a career as a criminal psychologist after completing my four years. There, I can support Aldine to focus on their issues and on their survival.

_________________________________________________________________

Juan is a current student in Professor Bruce Martin's writing course.

Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Jairo

Porter, Texas
by Jairo Rivera

Porter is a small town on the outskirts of Houston, which is one of the biggest cities in America. I have a lot of people that support me and helped influence what I have set my goal as. The community as well helped me want to become a civil engineer.

The community of Porter is very important to me because I have basically lived in Porter my whole life so I am so used to the way of living in that area. It is in the middle of wanting to be country and also has suburban areas it is basically a mixture of both. We have people that live in the suburbs and others that own 10 acres so Porter has basically everything.

I look at all around where I have grown up and I see old building, dirt roads, and broken-down bridges in Porter. I would just look at all the stuff I have around me and think I want to make a difference, that’s why it came to me if I become a civil engineer I can help out with everything. The setting was very helpful in what I set my goal to.

The school I am zoned to is Porter High School, a pretty big school and it is considered 5A. The school program made me choose what I have choose a career path in what I have in mind to study for and they put I in courses that follow that curriculum. I didn’t want to believe this but my high school helped me get ahead with my civil engineering decision.

Porter’s community may be a lot different from what people are used too. Regardless of what is thought of it I consider this community my home which it is. These are the reasons why the community is important to me and how it has influenced the decision I have made in becoming a civil engineer.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Jairo is currently a student in Professor Bruce Martin's writing course.

Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Christopher

Homestead (Houston), Texas
by Christopher Franklin

I live in Homestead near Little York Road, north of Houston, where I was born and raised and where my parents were raised, too, where everyone grows up together. I graduated from Summer Creek High School – where my parents and mostly everyone else in my community graduated from high school. But I'm the only one who was able to go to college right after high school in my community.

Homestead is actually in the city limits of Houston, Texas. I'm a college student at Lone Star College at North Harris, about 30 minutes away. After I graduate from Lone Star College in May, 2019 with a Associate of Arts degree, I will transfer to Stephen F. Austin State University to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.  

Everyone in my community knows one another because we are all like family and show love towards each other and respect each other property and everyone in my community knows my future plans and support my every move. My community is not the best looking community compared to other communities that may be located in Houston. As a community, we have issues that we want fixed, but no one has the confident to speak up about the issues such as pot holes and street lights not working.

As a college student, I still face obstacles such as procrastinating and time management. But due to the resources I have to use to help me and due to the support of my community it shows how they really validate my mission and dreams. This and keeps pushing to do more and to help fight to better my community.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Christopher is a current student in Professor Bruce Martin's writing course.

Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Cindy

My Community Along Imperial Valley
by Cindy Perez

High School Graduation

My parents came to this country as immigrants looking for the American dream for their

children. They have pushed me on to bettering myself and pursue my career on forensic

chemistry. With the knowledge I gain I want to help my community to become a safer one.

I juggle my time between my full-time job and going to school. I attend Lone Star College to

be able to receive my Associate degree on science. Therefore, I can transfer to Sam Houston

State University to receive my bachelor’s degree on forensic chemistry.

I’ve grew up on Imperial Valley area, north of Houston Texas, and has been known as a high

rate on crime. By completing my degrees, I will able to help my community to be safer for

our future generations. I hope to keep the bad guys of the street and incarcerating them

where they belong.

Yet, my biggest obstacle is that I tend to shut myself down and have self-doubt. I question

myself a lot if I am even smart enough or capable to achieve my goals. I want to overcome

that fear and push through and finish what I already started.

My mother has always said to me “whatever you sacrifice now, is going to pay off in the long

run.” I want to achieve my goal by getting my Associate of Science degree and my Bachelor’s

degree on forensic chemistry. Where I soon would be able to provide for my community.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Cindy is a current student in Prof. Bruce Martin's writing course.

Students Write - Prof. Martin's Class: Adela

My Mission in Aldine

by Adela Legorreta

My parents came to this country hoping for a safer place to call home for his family. They brought us in hopes for their children to have a brighter future, bringing me at the age of three to Aldine, Texas. Aldine has become a town where -- as a little girl I’ve always had a love for animals -- make my dream of becoming a veterinarian and help animals in my community.

Through the years, I’ve noticed a majority of upgrades in my Aldine community. I see new sidewalks and new school buildings, yet opened my eyes to the animal cruelty around me. In contrast to infrastructure, the number of stray animals in my community increased.

The kind of animal neglect I see on the streets breaks my heart. Aldine is an area where you see dogs dead on the streets or abandoned, becoming hungry strays. As these different situations happened around me, it motivated me to make a change in my community.

Aldine has also been a safe space for migrants, and because of the decision my parents, I’ve been given a huge opportunity to become what I want to be. I have been given the opportunity to continue my education by becoming a DACA recipient. By becoming a veterinarian, I would have more knowledge about animals and other ways I can help by using different resources.

My purpose is to one day share my knowledge with my community. Knowledge is power and by sharing ideas, comments, and knowledge can make a huge impact to my community. Having a better community can be a start to a great future that one day I hope to see.  

___________________________________________________________________________________

Adela is a current student in Professor Bruce Martin's writing class.