Dilan: My journey had been long and difficult, but I made it to where many give up

Hi, my name is Dilan, and I am a first-generation college student. I am the son of two immigrant parents who were born and raised in Mexico. Our family is small but strong. My goal has always been clear to me, and that is to be able to give my parents the life they always wanted. My goal in my career is to be able to walk the steps they could not, achieve what they wanted, be the son who made them realize that all they did was not a waste. I am currently working on this career path towards my associate degree in Human Services.  

I plan to continue this until I can achieve my master's degree. I am attending school at Elgin Community College; I enrolled right away after high school. I started slowly and have continued to work on my degree slowly in order to pay for school with only 3 classes a semester as I work a full-time job. My journey had been long and difficult, but I made it to where many give up. My associate degree is to show everyone that no matter your age, everything is possible.  

My favorite quote I have had in mind is, “Don't compare your life to others. There's no comparison between the sun and the moon—they both shine when it's their time." 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dilan has chosen to keep his last name private.