Monologue – Kimberly Delgado

Hello everyone, my name is Kimberly, which is a pretty common name; especially since every school I have been to have always had a multitude of Kimberlys, which often caused some confusion in class. Every time the teacher would say Kimberly, I would feel my heart jump only to then realize that the teacher was referring to the other Kimberly and not to me.

I come from a family of five, which includes my mother, father, brother and sister. My sister recently graduated from Queens College and my brother is on his third year in Hunter College studying history. Both of my parents are immigrants from Ecuador and have lived in the United States for over 20 years. My father had to come here through illegal means when he was 19 because he believed that the United States offered more opportunities than in Ecuador. He pretended to be the son a wealthy man in Ecuador who was visiting New York for vacation.

Fortunately, I was born here in the United States and I’ve been working hard, at home and school, in order to compensate my parents for their continuous effort to raise my siblings and me. It has been difficult for all of us, especially in school, because none of my parents know English very well. The highest level that my father completed was the 5^th grade because he had to start working at 10 years old to support his family. My mother was only able to complete high school and then married my father. Therefore, my siblings and me had to learn things on our own. I, personally, learned to overcome this challenge by spending more time studying than was necessary. It is still a challenge for me but my family gives me the motivation to keep moving forward, a motto I try to live by. I believe that if one aims higher, they are able to achieve more even if they don’t reach their target.

Despite the many challenges my family faces, we always endure our hardships as a family. When deciding what college I should pick, a huge factor that determined my decision was my family. I was offered a full scholarship to go to Vassar College, but I decided to stay at home because they are the ones who give me the support I need to keep going. I contribute a lot to my family by cooking for them when they get home late and maintaining the apartment. To be honest, the part I enjoy most of my day is being able to go home to see how my white fluffy dog. Chico and how happy he gets to see that I’m home, and also spend time with my family.

Most of my life, I was looking forward to start college in order to get a good education and have a career. I want to financially assist my parents so that they can have an early retirement. Being in college has made me feel empowered because I feel that I’m closer to achieving my dreams, which at this moment I have no idea what that is.

However, I sometimes doubt my capabilities and intellect because I don’t always get the highest grade that’s possible but I learned throughout the years that life is not always about winning but about trying your best and having faith in oneself. One must be proud from where they come from, which is why I am extremely proud to call myself a Latina, working hard to achieve my dreams regardless of the obstacles society tries to impose. Even more specifically, I am proud to be a woman because I will not allow myself to become a housewife nor be objectified. My parents did not sacrifice themselves just to see me live the same fate of the women back in Ecuador. I will always maintain and support myself without the help of any man. Although, I am very quiet, I always try to maintain my dignity and prove to myself and others that I am more than what I appear to be. My parents took a risk to better secure my future and I plan to make them proud.