Curious George Research Paper

When I was younger, I thought my parents named me after the cartoon, Curious George; everywhere I would go people called me that. Years ago, I asked my mom how they came up with my name, she said that my dad wanted to give me his name but she didn't. Like many Hispanic moms, she tends to be a bit superstitious. Her superstition was constructed upon the concept that if two family members had the same name, one of them would have an untimely death. In response to this, my dad came up with a loophole in naming me George, the English version of Jorge which is his name, my mom agreed and that is how my name came to be. This might seem irrelevant to an observer, but the story of how my name was agreed upon allowed me to be a Curious George, and question

the thinking and reasoning of even an authority, such as my mother or even teachers. My mom taught me to be curious and my dad taught me hard work; like many undocumented youth, I would see him only when I would wake up and when I would go to bed.

Sometimes I don’t realize how lucky I am.

My parents left everything they knew, their family, the street they grew up on, practically their whole lives, to move halfway across the world to an unknown place where opportunity lies rampant. I don’t remember being away from my father for a year while he worked in the US, I don’t remember living basement to basement. Moreover, I used to look at money as I looked at the stars, out of reach. Except now that I’m going to college, it’s up to me to jump. My parents raised me to only look at my peers and see if they needed anything, not look at my peers and yearn for what they had. Admittedly, I would always want more, I suppose this is the human condition, to never settle for what one has. To combat this, I would watch the History channel or even listen to Mo Money Mo Problems by Biggie. I learned at a young age that greed leads to the downfalls of individuals and even societies, to grow, one must undergo struggle, and depending on how one approaches this struggle, leads to the improvement of oneself. This acknowledgment allowed me to feel like any other kid, just one with fewer options, but nonetheless, still a road ahead of me. Having known of my parents’ stories made me grasp that I didn’t start from the beginning, but instead a continuation of the road my parents began. In a way, I feel as though I am living through them.

Leaving them, even if it is temporary, is the most significant challenge I expect to face. They are my support

system, the beams that hold up my life. I don’t believe anyone can say they are ready for college. From what teachers tell me, high school is nothing like it, that it hits you like a bus, but like my dad demonstrated, a contentious work ethic can go a long way. What I do while I am away will bring me one step closer to having the people that gave me everything be at peace.

Every day I read something new, every day someone is bringing the future to the present, whether it be genetic engineering with CRISPR-CAS9 or retro propulsion for interplanetary travel. I read this every day and I want to be a part of it. I don’t know when I first felt this way, I don’t know why I do, I feel as though there is some innate desire to create something that brings a positive change to our civilization. I know it’s broad and not specific and ambitious but this is my goal, to learn everything I possibly can within my lifetime and do something revolutionary with that knowledge. Maybe I feel this way because I’m young and filled with optimism for the future, maybe it’s because I'm not content with the progress I have made so far and some unconscious voice is demanding I do more.

“We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard”
-John Kennedy

As Kennedy said, if it was easy everyone would do it, it is because it is hard, that I want to.