The González-Albarran family signs the paperwork for the REACH Georgia Scholarship, a mentoring program that provides students the support to be successful after high school, at a Clarke County Board of Education meeting on Dec. 15, 2022. Journalism I student Jazlyn González-Albarran competed for the scholarship as a way of helping achieve her dream of repaying her parents for their efforts. “In my mind, I was closer to my dream. My younger self would have been so happy to hear about this since, for her, this was impossible,” González-Albarran wrote. Photo courtesy of the Clarke County School District Facebook page
Journalism I student Jazlyn González-Albarran shares her dream of success and how she attributes that desire to her parents’ sacrifices.
Since I was a little kid, I have wanted to be someone in life. I wanted everyone to know my name, and that hasn’t changed.
This desire started a dream of being successful for my parents, because I always see the efforts they make, like waking up at 3 a.m. to go work for our family. They came from Mexico at a young age, leaving everything behind for their families’ future, and I always keep their sacrifices in my heart.
Hearing all the stories they tell me about their journey always made my heart break. I owe them for what they have done, and they don’t deserve for their efforts to be taken for granted.
I want to be the first in my family to go to college and earn a degree, so I always try to work hard to do so. Every opportunity I get to get closer to my dream, I always try to do my best as a way to repay my parents for everything they’ve done.
“Every opportunity I get to get closer to my dream, I always try to do my best as a way to repay my parents for everything they’ve done.”
— Jazlyn González-Albarran,
Journalism I student
So in October of 2022, when I got nominated to compete for the REACH Georgia Scholarship, a mentoring program that provides students the support to be successful after high school, I was determined to win
it. Though I had doubt, the only thing that ran through my mind was how my parents would react if I won it.
During the decision-making process, I thought, “Am I good enough for this?” A month passed and I thought, “I didn’t win it for sure.” But, then there was an announcement made by my principal at Burney Harris Lyons Middle School naming me the winner of the scholarship.
I wanted to cry, but one thing was for sure: I was excited to see my parent’s reaction. “I did it,” I remember thinking, because in my mind, I was closer to my dream. My younger self would have been so happy to hear about this, since for her, this was impossible.
I thought about how my promise to my parents was now a little closer to happening. After that, I started to believe more in the idea that my dreams can come true, even if they seem impossible.
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