Passion for Learning

A Passion for Learning

It’s not every day that you meet a stranger so easy to talk to. The calm demeanor and casual style of Daniel Romero, the 18 year old from Pico Rivera allowed for us to easily converse about his personal life. Born in Whittier, California, Daniel spent most of his life in the town known as Pico Rivera aside from two years lived in East LA. Along with Daniel, his household is comprised of his two parents and older brother who are all originally from Mexico. Daniel’s relationship with his family is generally strong, but he tends to feel undermined by his older brother who currently attends Cal Poly. In fact, Daniel denied his acceptance to that university in order to avoid the unnerving comparisons between their studies.

The first time he encountered a situation in which he felt overshadowed by his brother was when they were children. We’ve all heard the stereotype that older siblings tend to be the ones who take fault as opposed to the youngest, but that was not the case in the Romero household. Daniel often found himself in trouble when he “wasn’t like” his brother. My curiosity to learn more about the topic was extinguished by vague answers when asking to elaborate. I realized it was most likely a topic that wasn’t too pleasant to discuss, let alone one Daniel would feel comfortable talking about with a stranger. This overall topic came into conversation when asked if he could change anything about his life for the better. “I would choose to be the older brother instead,” he responded which initially took me by surprise. The answer, however, stemmed from Daniel’s desire to obtain more responsibility and respect, especially in the educational world. It was even clearer then that schooling is of the utmost importance in his life, as is his strong desire for recognition for his outstanding work ethic.

            No matter what the future holds, Daniel wants to gain as much knowledge as he possibly can in order to develop a successful name for himself. Overall, I was happy to gain a new friend and learn more about the life of a fellow student. Daniel Romero is definitely someone who will find success in the future. There are rarely times that I accept absolutes about the unknown. However, after spending some time talking to this young man, I am sure he is destined for greatness.