Education Without Borders, Andrei’s Travel Across Two Lands

Howdy Yall!!

I am Andrei Villasana and the reason why I started this fundraiser is to raise money for my college tuition and several other expenses that come along with it, such as commuting to school, renting textbooks, etc.
I attend the University of Texas at Tyler (Swoop!!) and I am a candidate for a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences.

Now to tell you more about myself.
I was born in El Paso Texas, a twin city to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, also infamously known as "The Most Dangerous City." Shortly after my birth, my parents were deported from the United States and were forced to begin anew. I never expected that my life would take such a drastic turn.

As some of you can imagine, living in the most dangerous city has many trade offs, and those during your childhood and adolescence can bring melancholic memories, such as not being able to live a normal after many reports of child kidnappings, public display of beheadings, and waking up to neighbors being murdered, the city of "Wailing Sirens" has a more fitting nickname.

Most importantly, the education was rather underdeveloped, and served as a gateway to drugs among classmates. This kind of exposure was life changing, I knew then that I wanted a better life for myself, and the only opportunity was across the border, there was no other way at the time.

Unfortunately moving to El Paso was NOT an option, but luckily another option was made available, and that was to register at a nearby High School that was located a few miles away from the US-Mexico border. And so for my four years of high school I woke up at 5 in the morning, rode the bus to the border, and waited outside the Customs and Border Patrol station for up to two hours, and once inside the country that I was birthed I had to walk two miles to school, and even then I would barely make it in time before the last bell rang. Once classes were done I'd repeat the same process but in the opposite direction, most of the time I'd arrive home at 7 and continue my studies and my homework. This routine continued for 330 days, from Sunrise to Sunset, whether it was a hot boiling day, in flooding conditions, or had to trek during the winter, I had no other option but to keep going to school. There was no such excuse for me to not seek a better education. I am proud to say that I never missed a day to school. But even more proud so say that I was capable of learning and understanding a new language within such short amount of time. Eventually through hard work and dedication I was able to transfer to Silva Magnet High School, which focused on providing a progressive education based on Health Care Professions. Although it was a rigorous curriculum compromised of five or more science courses I was able to graduate with a 3.0 GPA and with a certification as a Pharmacy Technician.

Upon graduation, June of 2014, I moved out of Ciudad Juarez and ventured out on my own to Tyler TX, to attend the University of Texas at Tyler. My freshman year of college proved to be a challenge given that I knew no one, and had to work full-time in order to pay for rent, commute to work and college expenses. Nonetheless, it is a decision in my life that I would never regret :)

Thank you for taking an interest in my story!
Comments and tips are gladly welcomed :)
Have a great day because "Vita Brevis"