EVERYONE HAS A STORY

BY

JUAN MIGUEL BALUYUT

Everyone has their own story and every story begins with dreams and aspirations. Ultimately, each individual personality becomes a unique mold that is formed by the environment that surrounds them during the formative years. This mold becomes the foundation or launching pad that each individual uses to catapult them into their lives. Ultimately, these two simple factors will determine how far and high the dreams that we initially started will take us. Until the age of nine, I did not have any family other than a single mother who was working two jobs. It was not long after that, where I suddenly found myself with a new father, a baby brother and in the company of my sister who had been living in the Philippines with my real father since she was born. Since which time, we moved from Las Vegas to Sonoma County, where my parents had one more baby boy. This family journey has given me perspective, values and a better understanding than most on what is truly important in life and yes, is it also shaped me into the young man that I have become today. My name is Juan Miguel Baluyut, and this is my story.

As a single parent, my mother raised me in Las Vegas, Nevada. She provided me a private school education by working two jobs. I take my education seriously because my mother imparted that value onto me. She always put me before her interests and I did not realize how much of a gift her sacrifice was until I later matured as a person. When I reflect on my life in Las Vegas, I saw myself as naive and a jejune person. I would do things that were only in my best interests. With just my mom, growing up was difficult for me because I had no family to surround myself. My mother was busy working and I had no father figure at this point of my life. The importance of family was unknown to me then. It was not until I had one was when I changed as a person. By the end of middle school, a family had taken form for me, and we were living in northern California. At this point, my mom had remarried, my sister moved here from the Philippines and two new brothers were in the picture. Having a family is one of the most significant changes in my life. I have learned values from my new father and I am thankful for that. He is teaching me how to succeed and to make it in life. I take better responsibility for my actions. I am no longer the jejune, self-centered child I was in Las Vegas. I am now a more mature, sincere, and considerate person who is less involved in only personal interests.

Now living in a family of six, I take my responsibility as an older brother seriously. I want my brothers to grow up in a home where they have positive role models. Above everything else, when I work hard at my scholastic related endeavors I feel that it is helping to pave the way for my two younger brothers. I feel by just doing it, I am leading by example and giving them a first hand view, “that yes”, it can be done. The combination of working hard to be a positive role model and taking care of my brothers has made me become a more efficient as a student in life and has taught me how to value and manage my time. The responsibility that has come with being their eldest brother has shaped me into who I am today. What I have gained from this explosive family experience will fuel my passion to succeed for all the years of my life.