Alejandro Serrano has overcome various personal challenges and is currently a freshman at the University of California-Berkeley.
Alejandro credits his father for helping him to stay focused on school and a positive lifestyle, saying that his father “gave (him) the courage to say no to drugs, gangs, and my friends.” He was able to find positive outlets through activities such as the Latino Student Union, being a Big Brother, going on immersion trips and handball. Alejandro also cited the sacrifices, strength and courage that his family provided to ensure that he would be able to succeed and get into a good college.
Alejandro says, “The American dream for me, has always been rooted in the ability to have freedom. I have come to realize now that freedom entails sacrifice coupled with love and choosing a life worth living coupled with honesty. These sacrifices can mean giving up something such as a mother’s time, so her son could pursue his passion with honesty that means accepting ourselves for whom we are. Being free means seeing yourself in others, finding yourself and your passion, and living that out everyday. In reality, we define our own American Dream and our freedom is what we make of it; how we define it is found in the moments where freedom is not sought, but discovered.”