I never really knew what my father's dream was. But I do know he came to the U.S from Mexico, at a very young age; for what we know as the land of opportunity. He attended John Jay High School and was really good at engineering. He had talent, he was good at math, building and fixing. But life was so expensive, bills were rising and I was born. My father was always hustling, using his talent in order to make money. By his side was lucky old tool box. Without the tool box there were no jobs. When I was a child, my father would sit on his chair and watch Youtube videos to educate himself some more by sketching, taking notes and drawing diagrams. My father at times would struggle carrying it up stairs. The toolbox was in fact extremely heavy standing by 4 feet weighing in approximately 45 lbs. He did it all with just a pair of tools in his tool box. At times my dad would attempt to try to teach me how to change a boiler, but I understood nothing at all. What the tool box has taught me was life isn't easy when you always have to push through, he would always remind me and say "La vida no es facil" (life isn't easy) as a child I would always get annoyed when he would tell me this but I now understand the true meaning of hard work. While the size of his tool box weighs him down the thought of a better future lifts him up.

– Ashly Gomez

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