Well, I been reading everyones wonderful stories and I have to say, they are very inspirational. I cried reading a few of them, they are so touching and I could really relate to a lot of them. Is been about a month since I wanted to post my story and get advice from all of you. But is been hard because I am afraid of what a lot of you may think, and I am jus tire of crying and suffering. But I finally got the courage to just tell my story and what ever the advice is good, or bad it is still welcome.
Ok so, my name in lilian and I was born in Tegucigalpa Honduras, in a small very poor village outside of the capital. I have three brothers, who are younger then me. I have a father but it was pretty much like not having one. He was never a responsible man, and because of this my mother had to leave us alone, at a very young age, so she can work and get us food on the table. When I was about 10 years old, something terrible happened, my mother was walking home from one of the two jobs she had at about 10pm and a man beat her almost to death he then try raping her but likely people herd her screams and they came to her rescue. She had to be rushed to the hospital with internal injuries. What was physically noticeable, were the bruises on her phase and four of her front teeth were missing. She try going to the police but of course they did not believe her and no charges were field against that monster. For the next few days this guy kept on harassing her and she had no other choice but to run away to a different part of the country. She settled in an other big city in Honduras for two years but in Honduras life is very hard especially for a single mother. Since money was not enough my mother decided to come to the united states, like every immigrant looking for a better life. After trying for almost a year to get a workers visa, she kept on getting denied and thats when she decided that there was no other choice but to come to the US illegally. Six moths late she got here to America and soon after she started sending us money. Mean while life for us in Honduras, just went from bad to worse. I had to drop out of school, which for me was devastating because I always new that education was the only way out of poverty. I pretty much became a mother to my younger brothers for the next five years. But in the back of my mined I always new, I wanted to go back to school. After five years, my mother gathered enough money to get me and my little brother, here to America. But that of course, was not going to be an easy task. She tried getting us a student visa so we can come and study here in America but we got denied over and over. At this point my mother new she was never going back to Honduras, and like every mother wanted to be reunited with her kids. She decided that the only way for us to be with her was to bring us illegally as she once did. I was fifteen when I saw my mother again, I was so happy to see her and to know that I was going to America. I knew that my future was not in Honduras but in the US. I was so exited to come but at the same time I was sad because we had to leave my other two siblings behind. As soon as I got here I started high school as freshmen. It was really hard not only I had missed five years of school but I did not know one word of English. I started taking ESL classes and enrolled my self at a community college to take more English classes. It was very frustrating because I wanted to learn so bad, but the five years away from school really hurt me, I came to high school as a pressmen but with a fourth grader education. I was always so behind in everything, but I was determined to learn, and I did everything I could to ketch up. I read books to improve my English, I rented math books so I can teach my self the basics, you name it, I did it. Of course my grades were very bad for the first two years, but I have to say they kept on improving. In my junior year, I got a few As and Bs. And I am proud to say that, I got strait As my senior year. I should add that during this my junior year, I meet my now husband for six years. He was a freshman in college. At this point I new I wanted to be a physician, I always knew that I wanted to go to school, I just did not know that, what I wanted to do all alone was to become a doctor. I was applying to college when something terrible happened to me. One Sunday afternoon the pastor of my church told me that there was this girl, and that I should meet her because she was also from Honduras. Of course i was very happy to meet her we talk and she told me she was here by her self and she had no one. So I of course became her friend, I understood her I knew what it was like to be in a different country especially when you dont speak the language. Anyway, about six moths later she meat some guy who I did not approve of. He was no good for her; he was a drug addict and had a lot of problems with the police. He and I did not approve of each other, he did not like me because I thought he was no good and he knew it. My friend and I or who I thought was my fried became apart and we kind of stop taking to each other. I had gotten her a place to stay with a high school friend and I knew she was going to be ok at least she had a place t stay. About three moths I asked my friend my highs school fried to let me borrowed her shoes. It was my birthday that day and I did not have money to buy shoes. And it was accustomed for us to let each other borrow our shoes. That day was the worse day in my life, when I got to my friends house to pick up the shoes, the Honduran girl was there. Of course I did not know she was going to be there because my high school friend told me that she was going to be at work around that time. Anyway I went in and we ended up getting into an argument. She was furious that I was not taking to her any more. She kept on saying that I thought, I was better then her because my husband was in college. And that I was going to be sorry for calling her boyfriend a drug adduct. Anyway, I was very upset because I just did not understand why she was so unappreciative. After I got her a place to stay, and many times helped her get around because she did not have a car. I just remember picking up the shoes and leaving. I am anyway, she called the police and told them that I hit her with a hammer on the head and that I hammered this closet mirror and trashed her house. I was home celebrating my birthday. We were having pasta, my favorite dish, which my husband had cooked for me. We herd a knock on the door and to our surprise it was the police. I was arrested and taken into custody; I was facing measure 11, which is a six year sentence. I thought my world was over, I was in jail for two weeks and I thought I was going to die. the district attorney started an investigation, they finger printed the hammer which she claimed I beat her with and the only finger prints they found were her own. At that point everyone started to question if I really did what she claimed, I did I did not have money and the state appointed me a lawyer. A bad lawyer I have to say, she did not care about my case all. all she wanted was the money I know this because she told me. Not that she just wanted the money, but that she did not believe that i was inocent. While I was in jail immigration kept on asking questions and I was so afraid to be deported I have just gotten married and the last thing I wanted was to leave my husband. At the end, the state lawyer gave me two options, ether go to trial to prove my innocence which would mean sitting in jail for who knows how long and be at risk of not only deportation but also that the jury may found me guilty, or plead to lesser charges. After talking to my husband we decided that I should plead to lesser charges which were misdemeanor. I agreed with him and I went ahead and took the lesser charges which were trespassing, menacing, and assault 1V. I have to add that Id never been in jail before or after that. I am a good hearted person I just dont understand why this happened to me? I told the state lawyer that I wanted to be a Doctor and I asked her how this would affect me when I apply to med school. She said the by the time I apply it would have been 6 years thats how long the misdemeanors would stay in my record. She said that by that time, I would be able to expunge them and that i would not have to worried about it anymore. and that my chances of getting into a med school would not be hurt by this.
Well I continued my life like nothing happened I try to just get that, episode out of my life which is impossible of course. Because every time I want to rent an apartment volunteer or get a job I have to explain what happened. I have to say no matter how many times I have told what happend to people, it just does not get any better, it still hurts so much. There isnt a time when I tell my story that I dont cry. I just think that this was so unfair; I mean I was innocent I have my conscious clear. But it is so hard to convince people that I was just a victim. About five to six moths ago I tried expunging these charges of my record but I was stun when I herd from the DA that I would have to wait four more years because the charges were made a day apart. So, like one was made today and the other one tomorrow even thought they were all from the same incident. I thought my nightmare would be over but is not. I went on with my life like I said, I became a permanent resident three years ago. I started going to school and I am now a junior in college majoring in microbiology/molecular biology, and of course finishing my pre- med prerequisites as well. Now I am getting ready to take the MCAT but I dont know how is going to work with my criminal record. I am so afraid I just dont know how they will view my case. Like I said I haven given up my dream of becoming a physician and I am always trying to give back to my people especially. As soon as I got my permanent resident card, Ive been traveling to my village. I gatherer toys clothing and school supplies during the year and bring it to them. I know they appreciate it, because I was one of those kids and if someone were to give me a toy a shirt or what ever I would have been so thankful. I also teach them English for a bout a moth is very little time but is something. I am also a outreach coordinator and I am in charge of a program called ELP (Elementary Leadership Program). I volunteered at this program last year and I love it so I apply for the coordinator passion and I got it. Ive been trying to volunteer at a hospital but is so hard because of my criminal record. But I finally got a hospital to take me in, and I will start to volunteer next month! I am in several clubs at school, like pre-heath society, and Mujeres de la Rasa as well. I just try to be involved in my community, because even thought I was not born here in the US, I love this country more then I ever cared for mine. So I guess I should stop here, I can go on and on about my life but I wont. I just have a few questions on what I should do. I dont know how my criminal history would hurt me when I am applying to med school, dose anyone? Should I just wait another four years, or take the MCAT and risk of getting denied because of this? If I wait the four years Ill be 29 years old buy that time. Oh! I should tell you that my overall GPA is 3.5. My husband is a fourth year medical student, and he thinks I should take the MCAT next year, and apply to medical schools. He does not think that it will affect me, if I just explained what happened. But I dont think is that easy, he knows how bad I want to get in that he hopes they would over look what happened. I just got a three year scholarship and it pays full tuition and everything. So I dont know if I should just get a double major and take advantage of this scholarship, may be get more volunteering hours and so on? I dont know what to do? if anyone has a word of advice please do so, and I should apologize before hand for making my story so long. But I just want people to understand that I am not a bad person and that I am innocent even if it is hard for people to believe it.
Thank you,
Lian
Ok so, my name in lilian and I was born in Tegucigalpa Honduras, in a small very poor village outside of the capital. I have three brothers, who are younger then me. I have a father but it was pretty much like not having one. He was never a responsible man, and because of this my mother had to leave us alone, at a very young age, so she can work and get us food on the table. When I was about 10 years old, something terrible happened, my mother was walking home from one of the two jobs she had at about 10pm and a man beat her almost to death he then try raping her but likely people herd her screams and they came to her rescue. She had to be rushed to the hospital with internal injuries. What was physically noticeable, were the bruises on her phase and four of her front teeth were missing. She try going to the police but of course they did not believe her and no charges were field against that monster. For the next few days this guy kept on harassing her and she had no other choice but to run away to a different part of the country. She settled in an other big city in Honduras for two years but in Honduras life is very hard especially for a single mother. Since money was not enough my mother decided to come to the united states, like every immigrant looking for a better life. After trying for almost a year to get a workers visa, she kept on getting denied and thats when she decided that there was no other choice but to come to the US illegally. Six moths late she got here to America and soon after she started sending us money. Mean while life for us in Honduras, just went from bad to worse. I had to drop out of school, which for me was devastating because I always new that education was the only way out of poverty. I pretty much became a mother to my younger brothers for the next five years. But in the back of my mined I always new, I wanted to go back to school. After five years, my mother gathered enough money to get me and my little brother, here to America. But that of course, was not going to be an easy task. She tried getting us a student visa so we can come and study here in America but we got denied over and over. At this point my mother new she was never going back to Honduras, and like every mother wanted to be reunited with her kids. She decided that the only way for us to be with her was to bring us illegally as she once did. I was fifteen when I saw my mother again, I was so happy to see her and to know that I was going to America. I knew that my future was not in Honduras but in the US. I was so exited to come but at the same time I was sad because we had to leave my other two siblings behind. As soon as I got here I started high school as freshmen. It was really hard not only I had missed five years of school but I did not know one word of English. I started taking ESL classes and enrolled my self at a community college to take more English classes. It was very frustrating because I wanted to learn so bad, but the five years away from school really hurt me, I came to high school as a pressmen but with a fourth grader education. I was always so behind in everything, but I was determined to learn, and I did everything I could to ketch up. I read books to improve my English, I rented math books so I can teach my self the basics, you name it, I did it. Of course my grades were very bad for the first two years, but I have to say they kept on improving. In my junior year, I got a few As and Bs. And I am proud to say that, I got strait As my senior year. I should add that during this my junior year, I meet my now husband for six years. He was a freshman in college. At this point I new I wanted to be a physician, I always knew that I wanted to go to school, I just did not know that, what I wanted to do all alone was to become a doctor. I was applying to college when something terrible happened to me. One Sunday afternoon the pastor of my church told me that there was this girl, and that I should meet her because she was also from Honduras. Of course i was very happy to meet her we talk and she told me she was here by her self and she had no one. So I of course became her friend, I understood her I knew what it was like to be in a different country especially when you dont speak the language. Anyway, about six moths later she meat some guy who I did not approve of. He was no good for her; he was a drug addict and had a lot of problems with the police. He and I did not approve of each other, he did not like me because I thought he was no good and he knew it. My friend and I or who I thought was my fried became apart and we kind of stop taking to each other. I had gotten her a place to stay with a high school friend and I knew she was going to be ok at least she had a place t stay. About three moths I asked my friend my highs school fried to let me borrowed her shoes. It was my birthday that day and I did not have money to buy shoes. And it was accustomed for us to let each other borrow our shoes. That day was the worse day in my life, when I got to my friends house to pick up the shoes, the Honduran girl was there. Of course I did not know she was going to be there because my high school friend told me that she was going to be at work around that time. Anyway I went in and we ended up getting into an argument. She was furious that I was not taking to her any more. She kept on saying that I thought, I was better then her because my husband was in college. And that I was going to be sorry for calling her boyfriend a drug adduct. Anyway, I was very upset because I just did not understand why she was so unappreciative. After I got her a place to stay, and many times helped her get around because she did not have a car. I just remember picking up the shoes and leaving. I am anyway, she called the police and told them that I hit her with a hammer on the head and that I hammered this closet mirror and trashed her house. I was home celebrating my birthday. We were having pasta, my favorite dish, which my husband had cooked for me. We herd a knock on the door and to our surprise it was the police. I was arrested and taken into custody; I was facing measure 11, which is a six year sentence. I thought my world was over, I was in jail for two weeks and I thought I was going to die. the district attorney started an investigation, they finger printed the hammer which she claimed I beat her with and the only finger prints they found were her own. At that point everyone started to question if I really did what she claimed, I did I did not have money and the state appointed me a lawyer. A bad lawyer I have to say, she did not care about my case all. all she wanted was the money I know this because she told me. Not that she just wanted the money, but that she did not believe that i was inocent. While I was in jail immigration kept on asking questions and I was so afraid to be deported I have just gotten married and the last thing I wanted was to leave my husband. At the end, the state lawyer gave me two options, ether go to trial to prove my innocence which would mean sitting in jail for who knows how long and be at risk of not only deportation but also that the jury may found me guilty, or plead to lesser charges. After talking to my husband we decided that I should plead to lesser charges which were misdemeanor. I agreed with him and I went ahead and took the lesser charges which were trespassing, menacing, and assault 1V. I have to add that Id never been in jail before or after that. I am a good hearted person I just dont understand why this happened to me? I told the state lawyer that I wanted to be a Doctor and I asked her how this would affect me when I apply to med school. She said the by the time I apply it would have been 6 years thats how long the misdemeanors would stay in my record. She said that by that time, I would be able to expunge them and that i would not have to worried about it anymore. and that my chances of getting into a med school would not be hurt by this.
Well I continued my life like nothing happened I try to just get that, episode out of my life which is impossible of course. Because every time I want to rent an apartment volunteer or get a job I have to explain what happened. I have to say no matter how many times I have told what happend to people, it just does not get any better, it still hurts so much. There isnt a time when I tell my story that I dont cry. I just think that this was so unfair; I mean I was innocent I have my conscious clear. But it is so hard to convince people that I was just a victim. About five to six moths ago I tried expunging these charges of my record but I was stun when I herd from the DA that I would have to wait four more years because the charges were made a day apart. So, like one was made today and the other one tomorrow even thought they were all from the same incident. I thought my nightmare would be over but is not. I went on with my life like I said, I became a permanent resident three years ago. I started going to school and I am now a junior in college majoring in microbiology/molecular biology, and of course finishing my pre- med prerequisites as well. Now I am getting ready to take the MCAT but I dont know how is going to work with my criminal record. I am so afraid I just dont know how they will view my case. Like I said I haven given up my dream of becoming a physician and I am always trying to give back to my people especially. As soon as I got my permanent resident card, Ive been traveling to my village. I gatherer toys clothing and school supplies during the year and bring it to them. I know they appreciate it, because I was one of those kids and if someone were to give me a toy a shirt or what ever I would have been so thankful. I also teach them English for a bout a moth is very little time but is something. I am also a outreach coordinator and I am in charge of a program called ELP (Elementary Leadership Program). I volunteered at this program last year and I love it so I apply for the coordinator passion and I got it. Ive been trying to volunteer at a hospital but is so hard because of my criminal record. But I finally got a hospital to take me in, and I will start to volunteer next month! I am in several clubs at school, like pre-heath society, and Mujeres de la Rasa as well. I just try to be involved in my community, because even thought I was not born here in the US, I love this country more then I ever cared for mine. So I guess I should stop here, I can go on and on about my life but I wont. I just have a few questions on what I should do. I dont know how my criminal history would hurt me when I am applying to med school, dose anyone? Should I just wait another four years, or take the MCAT and risk of getting denied because of this? If I wait the four years Ill be 29 years old buy that time. Oh! I should tell you that my overall GPA is 3.5. My husband is a fourth year medical student, and he thinks I should take the MCAT next year, and apply to medical schools. He does not think that it will affect me, if I just explained what happened. But I dont think is that easy, he knows how bad I want to get in that he hopes they would over look what happened. I just got a three year scholarship and it pays full tuition and everything. So I dont know if I should just get a double major and take advantage of this scholarship, may be get more volunteering hours and so on? I dont know what to do? if anyone has a word of advice please do so, and I should apologize before hand for making my story so long. But I just want people to understand that I am not a bad person and that I am innocent even if it is hard for people to believe it.
Thank you,
Lian
