My name is Gabriel Hernández. I was born in the State of Guerrero in México. I came to the United States in May of 1994 as self-transported labor. The idea of coming to this country was to work hard, save money, and then to go back home. I think that this is the basic answer that Mexicans like myself give when we are asked why we decided to come here. I entered the U.S. through Tijuana, México, and then I flew from San Francisco, California to New York City where I still live today.

I did not have any formal education in México. I lived most of my childhood in the mountains of La Sierra Madre del Sur. Therefore, I did not have access to a formal education. My father’s brother taught me how to read and write when I was 12 years old. My mother is illiterate, my father is deceased, and none of my sisters and brothers have had a formal education.

My first job in the U.S. was in a supermarket. I remember that when customers would ask me for something I used to go hide because I did not understand what he/she was asking me for and I would feel embarrassed and ashamed. Later on, I realized that without speaking English I would go nowhere. So I began to study English in a school that I saw advertised in the subway that is located near Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan. About two months later I met a friend in a deli where I was working who suggested that I go to study English at Hunter College. This was because Hunter’s English program was better than at the school where I was a student. Also, if I decided in the future to go to college it would not be such a big transition for me because I would already be in a college environment.

At that time I used to work twelve hours a day from Sunday to Friday. My only choice was to go to school on Saturdays. Fortunately, Hunter did have a Saturday English program that I attended for almost two years. I received a certificate for completion of 284 hours in English language instruction in March of 1997.

When I was in my second year in the English program at Hunter College I began to consider the idea of going to college. But the question for me was how to make that possible since I had no educational background. I told my friend who originally suggested that I study English at Hunter about my desire to continue to study. She told me that it was definitely possible for me and gave me support. She also told me that it would not be easy. She told me about the GED and how New York State would allow me to take the exam in Spanish. I learned that there is a book called the GED and that I could go to any bookstore and buy one in Spanish.

I studied the GED at home and when I felt ready I applied for the exam. After I took the exam I needed to wait about three months to get the results. When I received the letter and I saw my GED diploma I could not believe that I had passed the exam. This was in July of 1997. After I got the GED diploma I began to look for a college that would accept me. I first went to the Bronx Community College where I did not have any luck. At that time even though I had already completed the English program I still could hardly speak any English and I was afraid to ask for information. Then I went to the Borough of Manhattan Community College where I still had no luck. The people there were not very helpful and I got frustrated so I left. Finally, I went to Hostos Community College where I met a very friendly and understanding woman in the admissions office. She interviewed me in Spanish. She also filled out all my applications for admission and financial aid. I want to say that I am very grateful that I was able to take the GED in Spanish because it allowed me to take my first step toward a college education. I am also very grateful to the admissions counselor at Hostos who was so kind and helpful to me and to Hostos Community College for giving opportunity to Spanish speaking people like myself. Without the GED in Spanish and without Hostos Community College I think that it would have been almost impossible for me to be where I am today.

I was accepted at Hostos Community College in the fall of 1997 as a Liberal Arts student. The first semester all my classes were remedial and I understood that I would have a long way to go. But it was not too long because I graduated from Hostos in February 2000. I transferred to The City College of the City University of New York in the spring of 2000. I am currently a student at City College and this is my second semester there.