Camila+O’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016

=**The America I would like to grow old in**=

So I think it’s pretty safe to say that I have experienced things that most teens my age haven’t experienced yet, or for the most part shouldn’t have had to at this age. Now, I am not trying to say that I am the only one out there who has gone through some bumps in the road, but I definitely feel like some of the things that I have gone through and moved on from aren’t as relatable to others in their lives. Ever since I was 10 it just has felt like I have been on my own. Ever since I was 10 I have been expected to be independent and mature about a lot of things. Ever since I was 10 I changed a lot from the young careless kid I once was, into the young kid who had to push off all feelings that I had felt in order to try to keep together for not only myself, but for my household. The loss of my mom definitely affected the way I turned out, not saying for the worst, but it just changed a lot of things for me which in many ways I have accepted to be as a blessing in disguise and have learned to benefit from. All around the world, many kids lose a parent, in some cases both, and are suddenly put into this situation where they’re out there facing the world alone. Thank God in my case I had my dad by my side to help me out in many ways, but something changed in him to to where it came to the point that it felt like I really was on my own. From that moment on I tried to make it easier on my dad as much as possible, as he played both parenting roles which I couldn’t be anymore grateful for. I just learned to do things on my own and not ask for much if it weren’t necessary. Now, I don’t want you all to think that my speech is going to be about some sad piece of reality from my childhood, but this piece from my personal background that I choose to share with you all is what sparked the idea behind my speech, being that I would love to grow old in an America where more of our youth would take into consideration of all that our parents do to support us and would try to be as independent from them, rather than totally dependent of them.

Everyone goes at their own pace when it comes to maturing and growing up. It can either be quite easy and fast for some people in means of taking care of themselves, or it can be completely the opposite for others, as it can take some up until their late 30’s to get a handle on things. Now is it a bad thing for everyone to grow up at different paces? Not necessarily because for the ones that grow up faster and mature quicker, they’re just at an advantage compared to those who find themselves at their own pace which is exactly where THEY are supposed to be. I personally have always found myself 3 steps ahead of most during the process of growing up. Right now I find myself in that state where while all my friends are all out having fun late at night and on the weekends, I spend my time working up to 36 hours in just a weekend, always arriving late to wherever all my friends are, as if I’m like some person in their mid 20’s getting off work late to meet up with their friends. Most of my friends don’t understand as to why I work so much at this age. Heck, I forget why I do this to myself sometimes because you would think that I would rather be out having fun my last few years of high school. But then I stop and remember that I do everything I do because I have responsibilities to worry about. You wouldn’t think that kids our age would be paying for their phone bill, car, helping out with car insurance, or paying rent for that matter. Well I do. I’ve met quite a few people that do actually, and they say it’s kind of a given and seen as a normal thing to do considering the fact that in a year or so we’re all going to have to be doing that anyway once we’re out in college, might as well just get a head start now. And let’s not forget how much of a helping hand we would be to our parents if we were to do so. I don’t think there is a single parent out there who would be opposed to the idea of their kids getting a sense of having responsibilities and what it’s like to be able to take care of oneself. No parent really means it when they say they want their kid to stay at home forever because they become completely dependent of them and never get a chance to learn some of the most important values of life. To think that there is even the slightest chance that some kids are never going to have to worry about taking upon these types of responsibilities and learning these values of life either. I on several occasions have met people who unfortunately don’t have, and quite possibly never will have the slightest clue as to what it means to depend on no one else but yourself. I’ve heard many young adults say, “Oh, I don’t have to worry about that. My parents will just pay for it.” Or in some cases even snarkier comments such as, “Ew, why would I pay, that’s not my responsibility”. Maybe when you’re younger it’s not, but as you begin to grow up, it slowly does become your responsibility to be able to take care of yourself without the help of your parents. This is not an attitude I admire, let alone one I would like to see in a person. I admire people with great work ethic. I strive to have great work ethic. I strive to do as much as I can on my own and be able to make it work, now at this age, without so much help from my parents.

The America I want to grow old in is not one with people who have this certain mindset that they “don’t” have to worry about paying for their own things or essentially having to take care of themselves. I want to grow old in an America where our youth would want to start doing things to be able to take care of oneself, to go out and start earning and saving, or doing things on their own for that matter, so they can slowly stop depending and relying on their parents. I want to grow old in an America where more of our youth would just want to voluntarily do this without having to be asked to. This is an attitude I would like to see more of an a person, and I hope to see more of in the America I will grow old in.

Thank you.