Joey Hernández participated in a privilege walk exercise for class where students took steps forward or backward based on their personal experiences and backgrounds. Joey found that he took many steps back while others stepped forward more, showing that they had greater inherent advantages. However, Joey's parents taught him to work hard to achieve his desires, and he plans to be perseverant in obtaining his goals despite starting from a less privileged position than others.

1. Joey Hernández
Professor Blanco
FYS
September 17, 2015
Privilege Walk:
When the game ended, I could clearly see that many of the students participating were
near the finish line and I was standing basically where I started or even a little more behind from
where I started. This exercise encouraged me to keep fighting for what I want, regardless of
where I come from and who I am. Once we started this exercise, I noticed that I was taking a lot
of steps back and many of my classmates were taking a lot of steps forward so I felt that they had
a greater advantage of getting to the “American Dream” much quicker than I would. I learned
that many people are born with almost everything and do not have to go through hard times
because they are just born having it all. I, for example, was born having almost everything, but
my parents taught me that if I want something I have to obtain it through hard work. I would use
this as a motivation to keep working hard and be perseverant to obtain what I desire. If we are
privileged to be born in a family that has it all, we should really be grateful and make good use
of the things that many desire to have. An example may be education. Where I come from, good
education is a privilege that many do not have. I had the privilege to be in a good school because
of the financial adjustments that my mother and father had to do. This is why I did not fool
around with anything related to my studies