The Importance of Where You Come From by Macy
Macy's entry into Varsity Tutor's October 2025 scholarship contest
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The Importance of Where You Come From by Macy - October 2025 Scholarship Essay
One book that I recently read was, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It is the story of Esperanza growing up on Mango Street. While she lives there, she is exposed to many different difficult situations. First, she is embarrassed about where she lives. She is also exposed to violence towards her best friend, and then towards her. Even though she has been put through all of these tough things, there is one thing that keeps her moving forward, and that is her dream to leave Mango Street. All throughout her life, she has worked hard in school and at her job so that once she is done with high school, she will be able to attend college. She sees that she has something special within her, and the community that she is being raised in is not allowing her to pursue those dreams. Although she wants to get out, Esperanza comes to understand the importance of community and where you are raised, even if it is not the best of conditions all the time.
The first main lesson that I learned from Esperanza is to always be grateful for your past. Towards the end of the book, Esperanza is at a funeral for a neighbor’s baby, and has a conversation with three sisters. She tells them about her dreams to leave Mango Street. Once the sisters hear this, they completely change Esperanza’s idea of her youth. They said, “When you leave, you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand? You will always be Mango Street. You can't erase what you know. You can't forget who you are.” As much as she dreamed of getting out, Esperanza forgot who helped make her into the determined person she is. Even if she does not want to embrace that part of her life, it will always be a part of her. The past is something that you cannot change, so you must use it to make you into a better person. She also learned that once you leave, you cannot forget about the people who still live on Mango Street. Esperanza is told to come back and visit those who are less fortunate, and those who did not have the ability to leave like she did. As someone who has always had dreams of getting out of my small town, I sometimes catch myself having the same thoughts that Esperanza had. After hearing that quote, I have started to shape my view on my upbringing. I am very thankful to my parents because they have helped me see my full potential, but I also need to start to appreciate the community that helped raise me as well. There are so many people that impact my life in ways that I often do not see or understand. Using Esperanza’s lesson will help me in my last year in my community to show my appreciation for the community. I have such a great community that has prepared me to leave, but I will never forget where I came from.
Finally, the last thing that Esperanza taught me was the importance of understanding who you are. She is embarrassed about where she comes from, but she has no control over that part of her life. As much as you do not like the way that you were raised, it will always be a part of who you are. It helped shape your views of the world, and established important relationships and values in your life. These values will be with you for the rest of your life, so be thankful for where they came from. Once you can recognize those things within yourself, you begin to appreciate them and your surroundings much more. As I continue to grow, I am going to work on this concept myself, and hopefully be able to share it with others so we can create a more appreciative and understanding world!
Work Cited:
Cisneros, S. (1991). The house on Mango Street. Vintage Books, A Division Of Random House Inc.