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Seluani Navarrete-Perez

Prof. Pettay

ENG 111, 2B

3 Oct. 2021

Kind Soul

Prompt: Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or

thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

The bright fluorescent lights and blasting cold air seemed to have been closing in on me

as I sat in my kindergarten class at the age of six. I stared intensely at the piece of paper that was

laid out in front of me. Timidly I glanced up towards the lady at the front of the room and

although she was talking, I could not understand what she was saying. My eyes wandered over to

my classmates who had picked up their crayons and began to write. Observing them I followed

suit but kept staring at the piece of paper yet again until a warm hand was placed on top of my

own. I looked up and smiled at the one teacher who I knew could understand me.

Mrs.Romo was a kind and understanding Puerto Rican woman who worked as a teacher

assistant in my kindergarten class. She dedicated her time to help me understand English better,

encouraged me to talk to her one-on-one, and also devoted her time in school and out of school

to help my mother and me. During this time, my mother was not aware of the benefits she was

eligible for until Mrs.Romo reached out to her and helped us fill out the SchoolCafe, Medicaid,

and Kindergarten forms as well as enrolling me in the English Second Language program. Even
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when I passed over to the next grade level, she remained committed to helping me be the best

version of myself and always made sure to be there for me when I needed her.

The graciousness and devotion that Mrs.Romo showed me impacted my life because I

grew up to become that person from whom people sought help. I am constantly asked for favors

and if I have the resources to help that person, I graciously do. I get a content feeling after

helping someone knowing I may have been able to change their life or even if I made their life a

little better. As I grew up I became aware of the opportunities I was given and shared my

experiences with others so that they could take advantage of resources that my mother and I were

fortunate to receive. I know how hard it is for a single working mother from a foreign country

who spoke no English to feel like an outsider who is begging for help and having no one to rely

on in an unknown country. It’s like walking in a busy street in New York City with no direction

on where to go and being unable to ask for help because of a language and cultural barrier.

Having gone through that experience with my mother I knew I wanted to be that one pedestrian

who recognized that type of person and helped them as well as advocate for them like Mrs.Romo

did for us.

Mrs.Romo’s actions inspired me to follow career paths in which I could assist people in

receiving the benefits that they had a right to. In eighth grade, I applied to the Legal Studies

Academy at First Colonial High School to further learn about the government and legal aspects

of our lives. During my time in the Academy, I began to choose my top three careers in which I

am hoping to someday become. I have chosen to become a social worker, ESL teacher, and
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paralegal that could have a significant influence on a person's life. I’m strongly determined in

receiving that degree no matter the obstacles I face. I hope to someday be able to send an invite

to Mrs.Romo on graduation day and tell her about how she changed the course of my life. I will

forever be grateful to her for being that kind soul who helped me write sentences in my daily

writing folder in class and motivated future me to advocate for people like she did for me.