Hanford, California. You know you’ve entered the San Joaquin Valley once the scent of cow manure wakes you up from your nap in the car while you’re on your way to either San Francisco or Los Angeles. Curious, you peek out your car window and automatically start to question whether you’re going in the right direction. You find yourself surrounded by green and fields filled with groups of Holstein and Jersey cows, endless rows of white cotton, almonds, lettuce, grapes, strawberries, apricots, and pomegranates growing in large fields. The San Joaquin Valley, also referred to as the Central Valley, is known for being the “food basket of the world” due to its produce and food; rich dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Suddenly you notice parked…show more content… I knew that in order to succeed at a top-level university I needed to expand my horizons academically. Sierra Pacific was not cutting it. During my interview with the Lawrenceville school admissions officer, I was amazed to hear of all the opportunities Lawrenceville had to offer; green campus initiative, learning the Chinese language, and living in dorms with roommates. I didn’t even know that boarding schools EXISTED! Ms. Martinez then nervously told me, “but…you will have to repeat your sophomore year…” It took me a few seconds to register what she had said, then in a matter of a few seconds I replied confidently, “Okay, when is the application due?” She was surprised by my response but I yearned to go to this “Lawrenceville”, wherever it was. It didn’t matter to me, I was desperate to be educated with other motivated students like…show more content… It became a routine to hear people I knew or didn’t know, doubt me, “‘She doesn’t even seem smart, she probably got in because of track or something.’ ‘She’s just going to turn into one of those gringos’” I disregarded these comments but during my first semester on campus, these comments kept luring in my mind. Being one of the only Mexican American girls at a school filled with international and American students who are extremely wealthy, made me feel uncomfortable. However, that didn’t stop me from continuing my studies at this school. Instead of confining myself from the community, I decided to look back upon the different advice that my family would give me, and figured out how to live comfortably with these strangers. Going to Lawrenceville seemed like an entire different world. In a small matter of time, I felt much more at ease and comfortable living in this small neighborhood. I proved those who doubted me from back home that their assumptions about me were incorrect and that even a low income Mexican American girl can persevere such obstacles and attain high achievements at an elite boarding school. Because of these experiences,I think its extremely important to spread awareness on higher education to students or adults that are in similar positions as myself. My