My journey began in El Salvador, where I was born; during my birth, I suffered a shortage of oxygen to my brain, resulting in a near-death experience. My mother's doctor was on vacation, so I was born by a doctor who had no idea what my mother's situation was like, and he did not do a good job. Fortunately, my only physical difficulties were my inability to walk and restricted use of my arms.
As I grew older, the time came for me to start kindergarten, and my parents preferred that I attend a traditional one. In a conventional kindergarten, I was the lone kid in a stroller with a nanny next to me all day, and the other kids looked at me as if I were an alien. After a few days, they grew to like hanging out with me. My next obstacle started in first grade at a regular elementary school. However, just like in kindergarten, it took some time for the other kids to embrace me as one of their pals.
I went to that school for nine years, during which time I became the mascot and took part in numerous international school sporting competitions. This chance gave me the ability to visit other nations, such Peru and Guatemala, where I had the chance to learn about their respective cultures. In addition, I visited all of the significant sites and monuments in each country; I visited Antigua in Guatemala and the Machu Picchu Mountains in Peru. Guatemala I really enjoyed learning about different cultures.
When I was in the ninth grade at the end of 2010, my parents made the decision to relocate to New York. On the eve of Thanksgiving, my dad and I traveled to New York; despite my excitement for the big shift, acclimating to the new culture proved to be difficult. It was cold. Since English is not my native language, I had difficulty talking, but thank God I had attended bilingual schools in El Salvador, where I was able to pick up some linguistic skills. The only one of my brothers to pass the ESL exam was me, and I was exempt from taking that course in this high school.
My most recent obstacle was learning in a new school where there were students in wheelchairs, exactly like me. I felt like I was an ordinary student there because I wasn't the only one using a wheelchair. I received a local diploma upon graduating from there in June of 2013. I then went and earned an associate's degree in Internet and information technology from Queensborough Community College. the past June of 2023 I graduated from the New York City College Of Technology with a bachelor's degree in Computer System technology.
How Do I Communicate
I've always used my voice as my main means of communication. However, I am not able to talk as effectively as other individuals because of my physical limitations. When my family and I moved to New York for a two-year period in 1998, I received my first augmentative/alternative communication (AAC) device. I took the AAC back to El Salvador after learning how to use it in New York. Sadly, the AAC device broke after two years, which devastated me since it made it difficult for me to communicate. I didn't own an AAC device until 2010, when I returned to New York. I was given a new gadget in high school that makes my life easier and that I can manage with my eyes.
