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Know how to say “NO!”
by Feliciano Martinez, Northwest High School, Omaha, Nebraska

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do.  But to hold it together when everyone else thinks you fell apart - that's true strength!” -- Anonymous

     Courage can mean many things, but for me courage is when I decided to get out of gangs.  When I came to this country all I had in my mind was to get my surgery and work to make money.  But with the help of my uncle I decided to go to school and learn English.  A few months later I started school and everything was great at the beginning.

        But then I made some friends from gangs.  From that moment, all my grades dropped; my uncle would get calls from school all the time because I just went to school to fight.  Finally I was suspended for a long time.  But because of my uncle's advice I decided to change.  One day, my uncle talked to me about his life and all the bad choices he had made.  Now he has to work harder because he wasted much time when he was younger.  This made me think, “Why did I come to this country?”  I came to build a better life, not to waste my time by getting involved in gangs.

    For all those reasons I have changed!  Because I want a better future for myself and my family.  Since I have changed I am doing great at school.  My uncle is happy and proud of me.  He tells me every day, “You made the right choice!”  Four months ago I finally had the surgery to help me get healthy.  Now everything is great with my health.  All these experiences helped me realize that I am a strong person.  I overcame my issues and decided to follow my dreams.