Bowie High School Student 1st Place Winner in County-Wide Essay Contest

March 24, 2015 (Bowie, Md.) – Cindy De La O-Aguirre, Bowie High School

Thanks to Mr. Cunningham for coming to our school and talking to us about his career and what he does on the daily bases. It was a pleasure having him at our school. Mr. Cunningham for me personally has been an inspiration, someone who I admire a lot. He has affected my life in many ways. He has changed my mind toward my life career in my academic area. He has changed my view towards having my own business. At first, my father always talks to me about having my own business because he wanted me to follow his footsteps. He even gave me ideas of how to start my own business before taking entrepreneurship or even meeting Mr. Cunningham. Although, in my mind personally I did not want to follow my dad footsteps I did not want to even have a cleaning company, which was the idea he gave me. I only use to focus more on my math and Spanish skills in order to become an accountant and have a minor in Spanish. When my senior year started, I started to talk the entrepreneurship class and I needed a business idea, so I decided to get the idea my dad gave me for creating my business.

Although, I still did not want that business, but that day Mr. Cunningham came he changed my view towards my future plans. Mr. Cunningham made me realize that I can still pursue my academic dreams, while still having a cleaning company. He demonstrated to me that nothing is impossible in life if you but you mind and effort to the goal you want to achieve. He inspired me to take risk as a student to become a young entrepreneur and have my own business. I said to myself when he was there if he is 26 and has multiple company’s, then I can at least have one while going to an university and pursuing my major in accounting. Also, he also gave me hope because I always thought that I was not going to get far in life because many Latino parents make you work and sometimes even lead you in the same path they are going through, which is normally working as a laborer for someone else. For example, many Hispanics are normally cutting grass, construction work, or even cleaning houses, but Mr. Cunningham has inspired me to make a difference in my minority and make a difference in the world and help those people out by creating a cleaning company and giving people employments. Also, he inspired me that I can be different from my entire Hispanic race and I can be an educated person. He has taught me a valuable lesson that will always be in my mind, which is that nothing is possible if you but you mind to meet the goal you want to achieve. He inspired me to become continue my education and become the first in my family to graduate high school and go on to a university and achieve my dream goals. He also inspired me in a way that has taught me that race, nor does legal status not matter because everyone has equal chances in this country all they have to do is but the vest effort into what they are trying to achieve.

I thank him personally because my whole view towards my education has changed and believe it or not with some words coming from adults like him can make a difference in a child’s life. He is a role model that most young people should follow and be inspired and amazed by the career he has in his life. He deserves that because all his hard work has paid off in a positive way. He has made motivated me pursue my dad’s dream, which is to follow his path and also pursue my own personal goals in life. My grandma always said that I will never become anyone important in life and that I will clean houses, but he demonstrated to me that if I but effort in to my school work that might not happen in my life.