Father's Intervention: Averted Destiny and Ambitious Resilience

I went to a house party with my friends, we were attacked by a gang from another neighborhood. We were dying for revenge. We each went to our homes to get our weapons, but as I was getting my gun, my father stopped me from going outside. My friend whom led the shootout was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Now, he and four other friends are in prison. I could have been in prison or dead that night if it was not for my father who calmed my nerves, and talked me into handing the weapon over to him. While there is no substitute for a good father, by transferring to Stanford, I hope to provide some solutions to issues such as these by becoming a mentor to youth, inspiring my community, and eventually earning a PhD and JD, so that I can be a legal advocate for those in my community and support families through

legal services.
Transferring to Stanford will help me develop into a stronger mentor for youth. My friend lost his role model, his father, at the hands of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and he has never seen him again. His mentors then became the felons on the street, who were involved with drugs, gangs, and various crimes. On the other hand, I grew up with a father who showed me the difference between right and wrong. Being able to get involved with the community centers at Stanford will allow me to reach numerous youth who are facing the same situation in their neighborhoods. It is important to expand these community centers, and to have other students work hands-on with young who live in violent neighborhoods. If my friend had a mentor who truly uplifted him, he would not have picked up his gun.
Stanford will allow me to inspire individuals in my community, young and old, to further their educations.

My story and my accomplishments will also motivate people who live in similar dysfunctional communities. For over 21 years I have heard shots, screams, sirens, and helicopters, which has become normal to hear, but it does not encourage anybody in the community. It just reminds us that we are in the same situation as before. I desire to be the positive difference in my neighborhood, which was missing the night my friends went to jail.
Stanford will allow me to represent members of my community in the courts. By becoming a legal advocate, I hope to prevent families from being separated by the broken immigration system. My friend had the horrible experience of seeing his father arrested and deported by ICE, which affected his youth. In the 80’s, when my step-sisters were babies, we also lost our father to deportation. This is the regular story of countless young Hispanics across the nation who lose their fathers or mothers to deportation. It is a violent world, and the uncaring media does not show what happens to immigrant

families.
The violent lifestyle of my friends could have been prevented only if mentoring, community inspiration, and legal advocacy were in place in our community. A role model was needed for my friend to cease his violent ways. If community members are positively influence by each other, we could promote peace and not war. If there had been an attorney for my friend’s father, he may not have not been deported, and it would have been a different story. Mentoring, in the community and being a legal advocate could prevent other young people who live in the same circumstances, from making the same mistakes that my friend did.