Alberto Hernandez

In my personal opinion, the life story of my father should be the definition of the American Dream. The funny part was that he didn't even plan to come or even stay in America in the first place. My father was born in raised in Mexico City, Mexico, along with one brother and 3 sisters. He lived with his mother and his father who struggled financially to be able to support their five children. To add on to the trouble, my grandfather was a heavy drinker. On weekends he would start to drink and become very irritating and violent, threatening to leave and never come back. Despite a difficult childhood, my father managed to go to school and succeed the best he could while working in order to help out his family. Growing up, he managed to attend a university and pursue a career in engineering while simultaneously working in order to pay it off. During that time, he went to Tijuana and it just struck him out of curiosity to go to the other side. He went to the border and asked for a one day permit to visit his uncle in the States. He never went back.

After he crossed the border, he had basically left everything he had worked so hard on behind. Getting to his uncle's house cost him the jacket that he had with him because he had no money with him. He quickly moved in with his uncle in his apartment. My father's room was a closet with hardly any space to even be able to sleep. He and his uncle quickly found a job in mechanics and after a while, they parted ways. My father got his own apartment and found a job installing car alarms and stereos because it was one of the things that had interested him the most growing up as a child. Eventually he got enough money to be able to rent his own shop and make a small business based around car alarms and sound systems. He still owns that shop to this day. With the success of his shop, he was able to buy his own house and property. On the property, he was able to build two more houses to increase his revenue. With all that success has been able to maintain and support his family, both his family here in the United States and his parents and siblings in Mexico.

With the success of his shop, he was able to buy his own house and property. On the property, he was able to build two more houses to increase his revenue. With all that success has been able to maintain and support his family, both his family here in the United States and his parents and siblings in Mexico.This is why I believe that my father's story is the definition of the American Dream. It is a prime example of how one man can go from rags to riches through hard work, willpower and determination. This is my idea of a hero.