Help me get to Florence!
Donation protected
Hello everyone! My name is Alvaro Castro-Cid, I am a first generation junior, and aspiring law student at Colorado State University. Currently I am hopeing to fund a study abroad trip to Florence, Italy and need your help.
This upcoming school semster I am persuing the chance to achieve one of my greatest dreams. I want to be the first one in my entire family to travel outside of the United States and Mexico. My destination is Florence, Italy. Of course, the journey to my dream has not been easy, I am commiting my full strength and heart to presevere and earn my spot at Florence University of the Arts. My goal when going to Italy, will be to inspire people in my community. I want to show the world and specifically my loved ones that nothing is impossible, achieving a dream is not easy, but anything that is worth time and investment never is.
I now call on my beloved friends, family, and all generous human beings to help me forge my dream into reality.
My goal is to raise 7,000 dollars, this money will help me pay for my plane ticket, passort, visa, food, in-europe traveling expenses and additional program fees. It may seem like a big number but I am hopeful that it will be achievable.
Any donations are greatly appreciated.
Donations of 15 dollars and up, if desired by the donar, will recieve a picture in the mail of me holding a sign with their name on it, e.g, "Thank you [name ] for supporting my dream", next to a famous cite in Italy and or Europe.
Yours truely,
Alvaro Castro-Cid
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Alvaro's Story
I was born with a natural talent for nothing. In elementary school I was placed in remedial classes because I couldn't properly speak or write English, and worst of all I had the tendency to be the bad kid. Whether it was a schoolyard fight, talking too much, or getting bad grades, my mom was quick to pull out her 'aqua bendita' (holy water) and pray to god that I didn't end up like my uncles.
At the time, life to me was a game. My parents were just there to yell at me for all the things that I did wrong. I despised them for that.
Then it all changed when my dad was detained. From one day to another, he was gone. My whole family crumbled. After a rigoruous search, my familiy and I figured out that he was in a detention center being processed for his deportation. I got to see him one last time before he was sent out.
There was a dark cloud that hung over my family after the incident. I went from acting out to just being reflective and quiet. I felt responsible. I somehow rationalized that if I had just been a better kid, then my dad would still be here.
In honor of my dad, I went to the border this year to volunteer for No More Deaths: a non-profit that provides water, food, and medical care for migrants who cross the border. While there, I ran into a young traveler. His skin was burned to a crisp. His lips were dry, screaming for a drop of water. However, his heart was filled with a fire like perservernce. Orlando, he called himself, thanked me for giving him water, but he was the real hero. He was risking his life for a chance at a dream. A dream that I had automatically been given because 21 years ago my parents made the same trip.
It all made sense to me. My family and I are here because we persevere. We have been given nothing in this world, but we fight for a chance to have something. When my dad left, my mom told my siblings and I to stop worrying. She said, "keep working hard, the only thing that will get us through this is our continued dedication for a better life". I believed her every word. I knew that if I kept my head up and pushed through the pain, I knew that their would be a light. I found that light in Orlando. He was the essence of my existence, he represented the heart and soul of what it meant not only live, but to thrive in this country. He had a dream, like I have a dream, like my dad has a dream, and like my family has a dream, and he, like we, are going to achieve it whether our legs fall off or we die trying.
This upcoming school semster I am persuing the chance to achieve one of my greatest dreams. I want to be the first one in my entire family to travel outside of the United States and Mexico. My destination is Florence, Italy. Of course, the journey to my dream has not been easy, I am commiting my full strength and heart to presevere and earn my spot at Florence University of the Arts. My goal when going to Italy, will be to inspire people in my community. I want to show the world and specifically my loved ones that nothing is impossible, achieving a dream is not easy, but anything that is worth time and investment never is.
I now call on my beloved friends, family, and all generous human beings to help me forge my dream into reality.
My goal is to raise 7,000 dollars, this money will help me pay for my plane ticket, passort, visa, food, in-europe traveling expenses and additional program fees. It may seem like a big number but I am hopeful that it will be achievable.
Any donations are greatly appreciated.
Donations of 15 dollars and up, if desired by the donar, will recieve a picture in the mail of me holding a sign with their name on it, e.g, "Thank you [name ] for supporting my dream", next to a famous cite in Italy and or Europe.
Yours truely,
Alvaro Castro-Cid
---
Alvaro's Story
I was born with a natural talent for nothing. In elementary school I was placed in remedial classes because I couldn't properly speak or write English, and worst of all I had the tendency to be the bad kid. Whether it was a schoolyard fight, talking too much, or getting bad grades, my mom was quick to pull out her 'aqua bendita' (holy water) and pray to god that I didn't end up like my uncles.
At the time, life to me was a game. My parents were just there to yell at me for all the things that I did wrong. I despised them for that.
Then it all changed when my dad was detained. From one day to another, he was gone. My whole family crumbled. After a rigoruous search, my familiy and I figured out that he was in a detention center being processed for his deportation. I got to see him one last time before he was sent out.
There was a dark cloud that hung over my family after the incident. I went from acting out to just being reflective and quiet. I felt responsible. I somehow rationalized that if I had just been a better kid, then my dad would still be here.
In honor of my dad, I went to the border this year to volunteer for No More Deaths: a non-profit that provides water, food, and medical care for migrants who cross the border. While there, I ran into a young traveler. His skin was burned to a crisp. His lips were dry, screaming for a drop of water. However, his heart was filled with a fire like perservernce. Orlando, he called himself, thanked me for giving him water, but he was the real hero. He was risking his life for a chance at a dream. A dream that I had automatically been given because 21 years ago my parents made the same trip.
It all made sense to me. My family and I are here because we persevere. We have been given nothing in this world, but we fight for a chance to have something. When my dad left, my mom told my siblings and I to stop worrying. She said, "keep working hard, the only thing that will get us through this is our continued dedication for a better life". I believed her every word. I knew that if I kept my head up and pushed through the pain, I knew that their would be a light. I found that light in Orlando. He was the essence of my existence, he represented the heart and soul of what it meant not only live, but to thrive in this country. He had a dream, like I have a dream, like my dad has a dream, and like my family has a dream, and he, like we, are going to achieve it whether our legs fall off or we die trying.
Organizer
Alvaro Castro-Cid
Organizer
Fort Collins, CO