Marry de Austria
Marry’s Story
In another life – in an alternative reality – there is a little girl that stays in the Philippines, never stepping foot on the foreign soil filled with resources and opportunities. That little girl goes through life believing that the impoverished country she was born in is the highest sky that she can ever reach. Then, as she lay down on her uncomfortable bed after a monotonous day at work, the little-girl-turned-adult wonders what it would be like to live as a successful woman in a different place, under a higher sky. And when that adult-turned-elder finally passes away, she wistfully remembers her mundane, unaccomplished life where her existence impacted none.
In this life – in my own reality – my fate is divergent. My childish feet trod confidently on fertile, foreign soil beneath the loftiest sky, leading me to a future brighter than any star formed. Within the United States, I planted my roots and constantly watered them with the abundance of wisdom that I absorbed from my home and my school.
No, the first year was not easy; it was a year of cramming English words and grammar into my young mind with my mother looming behind me, full of expectations. No, the elementary schools that I attended did not have anyone remotely similar to myself, but that did not mean I was shunned or ostracized. On the contrary, the African American community made me feel at home and took me in like I was family; somehow, that became a coping mechanism against the bouts of loneliness and singularity that came indefinitely. There are two others in addition to me – my little brothers. Our parents work multiple jobs in order to support the family, which means that I am given the task of babysitting. Whenever I asked to be a part of something, it was always the same excuses tossed at me, excuses that wore down my drive as time passed.
“No one can drive you there. Your father and I have work.”
“There’s no one to watch over your brothers.”
Every time my mother told me ‘no’, I resented my circumstances more and more. We were not rich; we could not afford things; we were restricted. All of it drove me into abandoning the hopes and dreams that I had tentatively brought under the highest sky, onto the foreign soil. It was in eighth grade when I finally understood that there are obstacles one must overcome, and that in order to touch the clouds that I yearned to feel, I had to build my ladder of achievements.
The first few rungs are built from my acceptance into Ramsay High School, my becoming Class Secretary, and my admittance into the IB diploma program. With those accomplishments, the ladder is short. But I have a blueprint –a plan– to make it grow, and that is to let my future successes manifest into a plethora of rungs. The Philippines lacks quality resources; I plan to engage in outreach to provide others with the same opportunities that were granted to me. And when the plan comes to fruition, there will be a steady flow of impoverished children handed tickets to ride on the train to prosperity.
Additionally, I will one day open up a cultural coffee shop that serves a variety of beverages and pastries from all over the world. My aim is to bring down barriers and build a stronger, much more culturally-tolerant society. Although my initiative may not reach everyone, it will reach enough people to make a difference.
Under the mighty sky and above the fertile soil, there is an unfinished ladder that will one day be tall enough to reach into the universe. The numerous rungs will then be climbed by someone who was once destined to die without purpose – me.
Education
School: Ramsay High School
Expected Graduation: May 2021
GPA: 4.25