Lopez 1

Lopez Evelyn
English 28
Professor Batty
07 December 2016

This article South Africa spreads the word was about a bookworm named Gumede. He
had a passion for reading books and he enjoyed it just like any kid loves to play at the park. He
had bullies because they thought him reading wasnt a manly thing to do. He would be called a
sissy and would get taunted, or get his book torn apart. The mindset for him was different than
everybody else, usually you just reach a point where people just stop going to school, but he
knew he could go further.
I can compare myself to Gumede because for him reading was un-African(Dixon Line
2). For the Hispanic culture they expect them to be as close as they can get to a career, like being
a tailor in a factory, gardening, or becoming a nurse for a clinic. When I was little I always had
told my family that I wanted to become a veterinarian but they just laughed. Now that I have
stuck to it they doubt I will even get far because I have always had difficulty for math. Just like
Gumede in his article it stated, Gumedes passion is to overcome the lingering, anti-intellectual
prejudice in many parts of South Africa (Dixon paragraph5 line4). Just because someone is
from a cetin place doesnt necessarily mean they need to lower their intelligence and be the same
as everyone else. You need to be able to overcome, just like the way my family had been teasing
that I wont be able to get passed my math courses. Certain people who dont have faith in what
you like to do and enjoy doing dont understand that any obstacle put through youll overcome it.

Lopez 2
I have changed the way I am because my family had always set down my goal because I
cant do one thing. It was upsetting knowing that they try to encourage me but they dont want
me to come across difficulty. I have changed my major more than three times because I was
scared of taking the risk and falling down. After having those difficult discussions with my
family I had always told myself you need to start somewhere to get back up. Gumede became
a writer for childrens books and he was the voice of South Africa to inspire those who think that
primary school was enough. I get inspired by my Latino community that they have big
hardworking jobs and continued school education.
For my spring semester I will be taking two math classes in one because I want to
challenge myself and let others see that even if you struggle with something small, youre still
the best. Gumede was bullied because reading wasnt something manly like sports or kite flying.
He was called by someone who had bullied him in the past and its incredible to see that your
bullies saw you were successful and all that was went through was worth it. I will be transferring
to UC Davis to work with animals I love and open a veterinary pet hospital near my area, those
who said I couldnt do it and bullied me will be amazed of the person I will become.
For the future, just because someone says you cant or its not a fit for you doesnt
necessarily mean that you shouldnt do it. Doesnt matter whether you are a man trying to
become a hairstylist, or a woman trying to become a basketball player. In the long run its your
career, and you decide what the best fit is for you. You need to be the voice and inspire the
community around which we live in. Even though you go through a difficult part in your life and
people doubt youll even make it, thats when you have to show others that you can do it and
much more.