Summer 2012 Newsletter - LaGuardia Community College - CUNY

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our previous foster family. I despise in many ways my supposed “childhood” and wish it was different. I had changed from a completely innocent boy to carrying the weight of responsibility onto my young shoulders. Those changes prevented me from being susceptible to most other negative influential changes like joining a gang or doing drugs. Other than few good memories, I remember playing Sonic the Hedgehog and only then did I actually feel like a kid. I became fond of him and it became my outlet for stress. Fast forwarding from there I came to my teen years. Upon entering my teenage years, I was met with a multitude of events which led to not only changes within myself, but also the change of my surroundings. I left my grandmother’s and was reunited with my mother. Although it was a much wanted reunion, the ensuing events deemed to be not so wanted. Upon living with my mother, not only did I need to change my school once more, but also the area we were living in was a lot less favorable than the one I departed. Upon my first night there, I awoke to gun shots outside. I learned to get used to them quickly. The school I was to attend was a good school, but the students were under different influences. This included, but was not limited to, drugs, gangs, sex, violence, and some instances of racism. I adapted quickly to these surroundings as well. I slowly began to change into something I wasn’t. I attained the nickname “quick fingers” because there wasn’t anything I couldn’t steal whether it was in a store, or right in front of someone’s eyes. Through the many fights I was involved in (almost all of them in self-defense), I also carried over my nickname from my previous school, “Grim”. I was changing in a negative way and quickly. I then met a person and was going to lift something. I was cocky and knew it was easy, but another person ratted me out. I was caught, but they let me go with no charges. I was taught a lesson and was able to reflect. I no longer wanted to live like that. I stopped ‘lifting’ things and became more passive in terms of fighting, but in that environment, they see that as weakness. Around that time my mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer. I went into a yearlong depression upon finding out. It got to the point where the few ‘emo’ kids kept away from me because, from what they said, I was “too emo” for them. I slowly withdrew myself from people and even withdrew from light or anything that wasn’t dark and cold. I found strength in solitude and complete silence. I found a slightly odd comfort from the cold, uncaring darkness. When the chemo was successful and the doctors said there was no more traces of the cancer anymore, it was relieving, but I was still cold, lost and withdrawn. I slowly worked out of that and came to be close to what I once was, but I had changed much too drastically for that. Near the end of my teen years to the beginning of my adult years were the next, and possibly the biggest, changes to my life. Upon my sixteenth birthday, I was still trying to get used to life, for lack of a better word. School had become troublesome because of the other students. I was really good in English, math and even better in science. It was to the point where I would only go in during test days, take the, and pass with extra credit if possible. The problem was actually with the school I was in. It is a school that has been in the news before for violence. That was one of many reasons I kept cutting classes. When nearing my eighteenth birthday, a day came where I walked out of my English class and was in the middle of two pistols, one held by a ‘blood’, the other held by a ‘crip’, both aiming at each other and me in the middle: I knew I couldn’t stay in that school. I proceeded in getting my GED after my eighteenth birthday to actually have some type of education diploma under my belt. Upon completion of that, I was working odd jobs for about a year. During this time, I was also dating someone (her significance comes in after I get my GED). I worked odd jobs and I was with her for a total of 4 years. I really did care about her. I was a responsible person and knew when I needed to take responsibility for my actions. She ended up saying she was pregnant. I knew I couldn’t support a family on odd jobs, and I barely had any work experience as well. I had wanted to join the military for quite a while, so I decided it was the best course of action. I chose the Marine Corps because of my late Uncle Nelson. It was also the hardest branch of service in terms of training. No one said I could do it, and I wanted to prove them wrong. This was going to prove to be one of the biggest changes of my life. A month after my nineteenth birthday I was slated to be shipped out to basic training. I knew what I needed to do, I was prepared as best I could be, and my mind was set in stone. Unlike everyone else, I didn’t have a mother and father to see me off. Instead, my uncle and his wife saw me swear in and saw me off instead. The travel was long and added to the stress that was growing by the second. Diving into the unknown abyss is what it felt like. Upon arrival to the base, everyone with me started having second thoughts about their decision. I really do mean everyone who was in that bus other than the bus driver. I, on the other hand, had complete determination. I was a very skinny 4
person and could have been perceived as the weakest there, and yet mentally I was the strongest. Upon being introduced to our Drill Instructors, everyone in the platoon was caught off guard. It was like culture shock on steroids. I kept my cool because in reality, I been through a lot of situations like this. Unlike the other recruits, I started seeing the positives that we were getting three square meals a day; we were getting to shower every day; we were learning military tactics; we were exercising often; we had full medical benefits given to us; we were getting paid for it all. I had gotten used to the yelling really quick as well. I went from being skinny beyond all reason to being huge and muscular. It was an uplifting experience for me! I had the strength I wanted and I had everything I needed to provide for a family and to better myself! I went from being poor; skinny; and weak; to being having a bank account and being financially stable; muscular; and strong! I felt that I had changed for the better not just financially, but physically and mentally as well. I saw what I had been given and had planned on not ruining this opportunity given to me. Not everything was good, however. I planned on getting married and being a father. The girl I was with lied about the first pregnancy and then a whole sequence of events came forth where she was pregnant with twins, and I was actually prepared to be a father. Unfortunately, nothing can ever be perfect, so I found out she was doing drugs and drinking, thus she lost them. After much other drama where her family still speaks to me, but disowned her for the many screw ups she had done, the big reason I joined was no longer a factor to me. I had to move on and keep the positive flow going on everything else. I changed though in not trusting women while I was in the military. Many said they would wait, but as soon as training or something else would happen, they were with another guy. I refused to be played again. Regardless, I then concentrated on my Marine Corps career and worked my ass off to attain Corporal and upon doing so, I was given a Sergeant’s billet and was in charge of an entire platoon. I was at the top of my game. I was in great physical shape, great in completing tasks given to me, great in managing Marines. I really was feeling amazing! Time passed and then came the time to re-enlist or EAS. I weighed my options. I was tempted to stay. Everything I could want or need was there. My Staff Sergeant who was going to be promoted to Gunnery Sergeant soon was my mentor to being a better Non- Commissioned Officer, and was going to see me pick up Sergeant. I weighed my options, but ultimately chose to EAS with the hopes of another huge change for the better by going through college. There have been many different things to happen to me during my life that I could only write into a book because that is the only way to keep all the detail in there. Every event had a significant change to how I thought, how I reacted, and who I was becoming. Regardless of what was bad and what was good, it all had a hand in what I became. I definitely am grateful I did not become a usual stereo type of where I was growing up. I had an open mind and planned on using it. I have had to go through a lot to develop it, but now I know anything could happen at any time, whether good or bad. The world we live in is consistently changing around us whether we choose to accept it or not. It is how we change to adapt to it that determines if we improve and come out on top. Gladys Perez Life can be a learning experience. Some people learn from life, others do not. What really changed my life was when I hit rock bottom. I felt very vulnerable, and was taken for granted. I was a trustful person. I guess I was naïve thinking that everyone was honest and believed their stories. It was February 6, 2001, on a snowy day. I was going to work, suddenly I slipped and fell on ice and could not get up when I saw my bone out of place I was so surprised the way I reacted. First I saw a man and a woman coming towards me asking me if I needed an ambulance. I asked the man to go to my house and carefully tell my father to come over. Then I realized that I was not going to be able to go to work. As I saw my dad coming over his face was very pale. I asked him to get me the phone, and a camera. He tried to get what I had asked for but he got so nervous, I 5
Page 1 and 2: Veterans Upward Bound, LaGuardia Co
Page 3: so I aggressively researched her co
Page 7 and 8: The boy scouts taught me how to be
Page 9 and 10: eak this cycle, by following throug
Page 11 and 12: sure you look fantastic without a s
Page 13 and 14: compilation of mental abuse, unjust
Page 15 and 16: were the black shirts given to pool
Page 17: ough of Manhattan while other train

Summer 2012 Newsletter - LaGuardia Community College - CUNY

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