My name is Gisselle Vasquez. I am the daughter to two loving immigrants. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but my parents are from Tamaulipas Mexico. I’ve lived in Milwaukee my whole life and have attended St. Anthony’s since pre-school.
For these reasons, everyone I attend school with has become family, including the staff and teachers. At the very young age of eight, I refused to continue coming to St. Anthony’s because of the uniform policy. However, this began to make sense to me very quickly. By having us all wear a uniform, no one was bullied for what they wore.
Attending a private school has been a blessing to me. I’ve had the support from teachers and have been taught dedication like I would have never had had I gone to a public school. Going to a Catholic school was also very important to my mom. Not only did I learn about my religion, but I learned to understand and respect all other religions.
I’ve never attended a public school and therefore cannot compare or speak for a public school education. However, I can say coming to St. Anthony’s was the best decision my mom could have made for me. I’ve grown both academically and morally. My school works as a family. It never fails in finding more ways to make sure everyone feels included and comfortable.
Not only does my school make sure we are keeping up academically, but it also promotes community service opportunities, which have taught me many things, including the appreciation for being able to attend a private school and receive this exceptional education.
This upcoming fall, I will be attending Milwaukee’s School of Engineering, which is in the top ten best colleges in the Midwest. Not only am I a first generation high-school graduate, but I plan to be a first generation college graduate. And I plan to study civil engineering in order to some day create, or be a part of, a non profit organization that helps communities in need. Helping and giving back to my community has always been one of my goals. Soon I will soon be reaching that goal thanks to the help of my private school education.