My freshman year of HS. I realized that the only way college was gonna happen was that first I had to do well on my exams. So I started buying used prep exam books and copying exams from the library. The school librarian is a close friend to this day. (Thanks Mrs. Conley)
I was lucky enough to have a job that let me practice my tests in between flipping burgers. (Thank you Steve and Souzy’s) I used that money to pay for extracurriculars that would look good on a college resume. Even went to Greece on exchange.
Not knowing anyone that went to Harvard let along college, I looked up students in the student directory. I called anyone that had a Latino sounding name and left messages. A few returned my calls and helped guide me to get ready to apply for college. Thank you Gus!
Junior year I intensified my practice exams added more AP exams, became Student Council President, had my after school job as well as other extracurriculars.
Senior year! I am might be the only student to apply to Harvard using money orders but did it. Use a friends computer to apply (thank you Kobelt family) Figure our how to do estimated taxes, to do the FAFSA.
I start the interview process. First interview was on the North side of Chicago at 630pm. My mom works to 5pM downtown she won’t make it back in time to drive. I leave school early take the bus to the CTA, take blue line out, take another bus than walk the last mile.
My interviewer hadn’t ever had an applicant take public transportation to see her. Was surprised when I told her I was taking it back home. She was kind enough to drop me off at the CTA stop.
Second interviewer wanted to meet in area with no access to public transportation. School gave me permission to meet him downtown in his office.
Accepted!! I also was lucky to have a supportive Mom and sisters that encouraged me the whole way. They did countless things to make it happen. Thank you familia!
Now let me tell you what Jared did to get in to Harvard. His parents paid millions of dollars to get him there. So I won’t take lectures about who wants to succeed more from a man who couldn’t do it without $$ from his parents.
I apologize for the grammar. I am a little heated.
Please stop donating to my campaign. I am a safe seat member. If you want to donate please donate to the Biden campaign. Also please donate to the United Negro College Fund.. uncf.org
Today, we held a press conference in front of the SVB offices in Tempe.
The SVB collapse is a direct result of Kyrsten Sinema’s choice to side with big banks over everyday Arizonans..
FEC records and public lobbying reports show that three SVB lobbyists maxed out donations to Sinema ahead of 2018 Dodd-Frank rollback which led to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Sinema is in the pocket of Wall Street and her vote put hardworking Arizona, their families, and their small business, at risk of another 2008-like meltdown.
What is the difference between me and Kyrsten Sinema?
When the bank lobby asked me to weaken banking regulations, I said no. When they asked Sinema, she asked how much—and then voted yes. This is the consequence of choosing to side with Wall Street Banks.
I remember bank lobbyists really going for it, but it sounded crazy from the get-go.
The federal government should claw back executive bonuses and investigate Silicon Valley Bank for insider trading.
While everyone is talking about @kyrstensinema’s friendship w/ @TulsiGabbard, her friendship with predatory lenders is worse. She has voted to weaken the @CFPB, the agency that protects vulnerable Arizonans from predators like pay day lenders. 🧵 (1/7)
In 2015, @kyrstensinema cosponsored & voted for a bill that made it harder for the CFPB to go after financial bad actors by requiring it to spend more on bureaucracy & therefore LESS on enforcement. (2/7)
Bad actors like the medical debt collectors AZ just voted overwhelmingly to regulate. (3/7) azmirror.com/blog/voters-ov…
This is not the case and it is sad. The American public stopped caring about Afghanistan years ago. Nat Sec, Veterans, media and politicos were just talking to each other for years while isolating the general public.
It was an unholy alliance that Washington DC and the Pentagon had gotten used to. Keeping casualties low, meant we can keep the war going and not admit defeat. You didn’t have to be the last general to “lose Afghanistan”. Or the President that pulled out.
But Afghanistan was always going to collapse. Keeping Afghanistan low profile stopped many including Congress from seeing institutionally how weak it was and asking for hard reforms or a quicker exit.
I saw my best friends die & for months I patrolled among Iraqis I knew there were insurgents in the towns & the crowds. I felt their eyes when I patrolled through the markets. I was filled with rage when they took my best friend. Did I want to exact my revenge on all of them?
I did. What stopped me? Several things did. Once I felt death was getting closer to me I realized that if death came I wanted to leave this world with a clean conscious. I would not become the monsters that were trying to kill me and other innocent Iraqis.
I realized too that if I survived the war that I would have to live with what I did. I had to come back home with my honor and humanity. Serve honorably, don’t cower when the bullets fly and bring as many of my friends home.