He deserves to be my tribute because of how much hard work and effort he has put into raising me and taking care of me. He has () siblings. He was raised poorly and had to carry water for miles uphill to his home because he did not have any running water for years. He came all the way from Yauco, Puerto Rico to New York City when he was in his early 20s, then he moved to Connecticut, and then finally settled into Chicago where I was born. Even after all of that he still has enough heart to raise me and still raised me with such immense care. When he came here, he only knew about ten words in English and struggled with the language for a long time. He has had about a total of ten jobs in his life, some being a bus driver, a cashier at Jewel-Osco, and his current job at a truck rental. All the time that he spends toiling he puts in to pay for our house, my tuition, the church, and for all the fun things he does with us. On July 26th, my father and I are going to Rome on a pilgrimage to see the Vatican, all sorts of churches, and the new Pope for the jubilee year. We did fund raisers together in the church. He had to work so incredibly hard for this to happen just so I could see how much God loves me. We have played racing video games together where you drive real cars in real world places like the Golden Gate bridge in California and Times square in New York City. He has been there for me through all of my hardships and challenges. We have gone on camping trips in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in tents as a family with my mom and my younger brother. One time, we stayed in an army base overnight in Iowa right outside of Galena where Ulysses S. Grant lived. He has always supported and assisted in all of my hobbies like games and robotics. He brings me games when he can and gets me computer parts so I can learn by trying, failing, and trying again. He helped me with coming up with topics and ideas for science papers and scholarship essays like the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation. He showed me how to use things like a power saw, a drill, and most of the kinds of parts in a car and how to fix them. He has taught me almost everything I know about computers and the internet like how to not get scammed. He isn’t a perfect person, but no one is, and he has always been the very best father that he can be. He has taught me how to hold my head high with pride, how to be empathetic, and how to be brave in the face of all of my problems and struggles. This is my reason that this man deserves to be my tribute.
Luisantonio Burgos – St. Rita of Cascia High School – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Renee – Adobe Stock