In January of 1993, Anthony met Ms. Meredith in the Kings County Hospital pediatric wing in Brooklyn, New York. In the midst of a freezing cold, east coast winter, my parents entered each other’s lives.

They were both born in the Philippines and moved to the States with hopes to further their medical careers. My mom came to the U.S. in 1991, and my dad came a year later. However, their journey was anything but easy. They had both been born into poor, low-class families. My grandparents worked extra hard to ensure that my parents had a good education to prepare them for the future. My mom studied nursing at the University of Cebu, and my dad attended medical school at De La Salle University. After hours and hours of blood, sweat, and tears, they both completed their schooling. My mom was easily able to move to New York because she came on a working Visa. After five years, she became a U.S. citizen. 

My dad, on the other hand, had a completely different experience. His mom – my grandma – lobbied for my dad to obtain a Visa as well. His papers, however, took 12 years to be approved. His mom was in California working to provide money for my dad and his brother’s education. That means that my dad and uncle were separated from their mom for 12 years. The Philippines is approximately 7,185 miles away from California. The pain in my heart is overwhelming just thinking about a family being separated for such a long time. After countless prayers, my dad’s papers were validated. He could finally start his residency training in New York! After three years of even more doctoral training, he became a doctor at last. Two years later, he became a U.S. citizen. 

After marrying in 1996, my parents moved to Hemet, California to start a life together. In 1999, my brother, Marcus, was born, and I was born in 2003. My mom got a steady job at the Hemet Surgical Center and my dad opened his own private practice. The emotions my dad felt upon starting his own practice after so many years of hardship must have been unimaginable. To this day, I see them working tirelessly to provide for my brother and me. My dad says, “You need to give your children the things you never had.” I know that I never go a day without being loved.

They did it. The American Dream. After all the obstacles they faced, they were able to rise up, and I am immensely proud of my parents. Sometimes I feel as though I do not show my mom and dad how much I appreciate them on the outside, but inside, my heart bursts with love for them. They rose from the bottom to where they are now; words cannot express how grateful I am to have such supportive, hard-working parents. In the future, I hope to be as much of a role model for my children as my parents are for me. They are a constant reminder of the importance of hard work and dedication. I feel bad at times that I cannot pay my parents back for everything they have done for me. But, that’s the reason I always strive for excellence in school. It’s the least I can do for them since they have done so much for me. My dad once told me his senior quote from college: “Victory is sweetest at the end.” I believe, wholeheartedly, that this is true.