Marlene’s Blog

My name is Marlene, I am 19 years old and this is going to be my second year at Chemeketa Community College. For some reason that nobody can really explain to me why I was born in Portland, Oregon, at the Oregon Health and Science University, but raised in Salem. Ever since then Salem is really the only place I have ever lived. I attended Bush Elementary for kindergarten and first grade, and then transferred to Richmond Elementary. From there I went on to Leslie Middle School and graduated from South Salem High School in June of 2008. I enjoyed my high school years to the fullest but even in this short time I feel that I have grown so much since then. I have met so many great people that want me to and are encouraging me to succeed in life.

In high school there was one person that I grew to really admire and respect. She was my teacher Laura Foley. She was always there for me and has been a great advisor and friend. I felt like she was someone that understood me as an individual and never judge me. She helped prepare me for my next steps and she always treated me like an adult. She has always been there for me and even though I don’t see her on a daily basis anymore I still keep in touch with her. The other two people that I admire and love are my parents. They have given me so much and I’m not just referring to material things.

I come from a very traditional Mexican family. My parents are both from Guadalajara, Mexico. They moved here in 1984 and have been here ever since. We try to go visit as a family every two years. I come from a very large family. On my dad’s side I have two aunts and six uncles. On my mom’s side I have five aunts and five uncles. I am the middle child and have an older brother who is 4 years older than me and a younger sister who is 9 years younger than me. Over the last year my brother and I have become really close. Not to say that I don’t love my little sister, but I guess that now that I am in college I am starting to feel more like an adult and finding that I have more things in common with my brother. My dad is a great person to go to for advice. I know he is always there and supports me in any crazy ideas I might have. My mom is my best friend that lives at home with me. She is very trustworthy and lets me confide in her.

My family is the most important thing in my life. Without them I don’t know who I would be. My family makes me who I am. They make me Marlene and I love it. The accept me for who I am. My close friends are also my family too. Even though they aren’t blood related, they care about me and therefore they are my family. A family is a group of people that care about each other and I have an amazing family! They always give me a little push to make me realize that in fact I can reach my dreams.