“Pásame una cerveza” (“pass me a beer”) is all I’ve been hearing my entire life. I didn’t think much of it as a little girl, so I gladly passed a beer bottle to my dad: “Okay, here, dad!” Eleven years later, I realize how much I disdain alcohol. As children we all want to have a picture-perfect family. This is sadly not my reality. My memories are tainted by my dad drinking beer. For years I was oblivious to the harm it was causing my dad, but most importantly, me. My journey has been marked by navigating the complexities of addiction, understanding its effects on mental health, and aspiring to support others facing similar struggles.
My father has been drinking since he was a teenager. In the Dominican Republic he struggled growing up in a poor neighborhood, one of five children with a widowed mother. However, I don’t see his successes and failures; I see his addiction and the impact of his emotional neglect.
Growing up in this environment has informed my perspective on life and my understanding of perseverance and responsibility. My father’s addiction is not simply a background detail but a force that has made me a hardworking, resilient, and strong young woman. Education has been and will be the way to build a future that could remove me from the hardships I faced. The need for me to be independent and self-motivated in the face of my father’s emotional and physical absence has forced me to tackle tasks on my own without asking for help.
My images of a drunk father and my mom’s anguish are etched in my memory. I will never be able to regain my lost childhood, but as a young adult I have gained the fortitude and perspective to be introspective and to heal. Unfortunately, this is not the case in many Hispanic households. The idea of discussing mental health and its detrimental effects is absurd—this is the case in my family. It’s hurtful when I can’t talk to my dad because he chooses to be out with his friends rather than at home with his family, it’s hurtful not to be able to share how my day at school went, and it’s hurtful to remember all my childhood moments my dad missed.
My journey has been one fraught with challenges, but it has also been one of profound personal growth and resilience. My experiences have shaped my character, influenced my aspirations, and fueled my commitment to helping those around me. As I move forward, I carry with me the lessons learned from navigating this complex and often painful reality, using them as a foundation for building a future marked by empathy, advocacy, and positive change. This scholarship would help alleviate my parents with my college expenses and will allow me to begin building my life into working in my dream career.