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Profile of an American Dream
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By Solomon Leach His smile is as wide and engaging as a young child in a toy store or that of someone in the midst of a celebration, but the 24-year-old is not shopping or partying. Miguel Concepción's glee is simply a symbol that, despite coming to the United States at the age of 12 and living in an area that some classify as the "Badlands," he has made some great strides in life and has his eyes set on even greater success in the future. Concepción's story could almost be considered one of the countless examples of the American Dream: a young immigrant journeys to America and finds the opportunity to rise above his less than ideal surroundings through hard work and perseverance. That description could almost fit Concepción's life except for the fact that he does not feel his work is yet complete. Still, on this day, it does not stop him from displaying a playful smile and shy demeanor that is also found in some of the students he works with. Twelve years ago when Concepción moved to Philadelphia from Puerto Rico with his mother, the transition was not exactly a smooth one. His family lived in the Allegheny section, a cultural disparity from Puerto Rico. One of his biggest obstacles was a language barrier--one that he says prevented him from being more open to the neighborhood. Nevertheless, he quickly found a place where he felt more comfortable. In seventh grade, Concepción joined an ASPIRA Club at his middle school, and there he was exposed to a new group of people that pushed him toward success. The club is run by ASPIRA, a non-profit organization that tries to empower the Hispanic community through education, activities and employment. For Concepción , the program was a blessing. "Getting involved with the program helped me develop my English," he recalled. "I was afraid to deal with people when it came to English. I didn't know how to express myself. I owe that to the program as well." After five years as part of the ASPIRA Club, which allowed him to build his self-confidence and social skills, Concepción was accepted into the Summer Youth Career Exploration Program (SYCEP), another segment of ASPIRA. The six-week program takes 10th- through 12th-graders and places them at work sites in their field of interest as interns. Concepción chose to explore the law field, an area that he had had his eye on for some time. "I participated because it gave me some extra money during the summer and it allowed me to do something I wanted to do in the long run," he described. Miguel's first work site was a law office in Center City called Banks, Banks and Weidman that he still remembers fondly. "It was on 22nd and Sansom . I still remember it," he said. For most of his time he shadowed an attorney and observed the work of a lawyer on a day-to-day basis. Not only did the experience allow him to earn a paycheck and learn more about law, but it also helped pull him out of his neighborhood shell. "[Allegheny] was my neighborhood. It was all I knew. [The internship] gave me the opportunity to mingle and see that there was hope." Miguel's enthusiasm carried him into the next summer when he interned for another Center City law firm called Roman, Brandon and Felden. According to Concepción , he built such good relationships that he was hired at the end of the summer program as a part-time employee, while still a junior in high school. In addition to working at the law office, Concepción decided to participate in the SYCEP as a college mentor and second-year student at LaSalle University. This time, his role was largely as a liaison between students and their employer, and his main objective was to make sure the students felt comfortable in their environment. Concepción said his own experience as a shy, hesitant teen helped him in this capacity. While talking about his most enjoyable experience as a mentor, his hands flail and a grin spreads across his mocha-complexioned face. In his second year as a college mentor, he ran into a student whom he had mentored the previous year and the student informed him that she was in college. "It was shocking because it was actually my first experience having my advice put in practice and knowing that a student actually made it to college because of the conversations we had while we were talking at the work site," Concepción explained. "That was the experience that made me say that I have to come back and do it again and do it again and do it as long as I can." Concepción worked the full three years as a mentor with the summer program and still encourages other college students to do the same. In his other life at the law firm, Concepción got to see several aspects of the law profession, working as a receptionist, a file clerk, shadowing an attorney, and even translating documents. But after three years, he realized that law was not what he had dreamed of. "I didn't want to be behind a desk dealing with numbers 24/7 and that career was going to have me doing pretty much that," he said. "Where the money was at was in Criminal Justice and I didn't want to do that." He noted that despite changing his aspirations to be a lawyer, he has still held on to the relationships that he built, and that the head attorney now acts as his mentor. "Still, to this day she has [these] hopes that I am going to go to law school," he revealed. In 2002, Concepción was hired by ASPIRA as a leadership facilitator, and he now helps to provide the necessary tools for the future leaders of ASPIRA and the community. He said he loves working with kids because it keeps him young, allows him to meet new people constantly and is able to teach them life skills that will help them succeed. At the young age of 24, Concepción has a job that many would consider making a career of, but he is not yet satisfied and plans on being his own boss. "Hopefully, by the age of 30 my business will be set up and I won't be working for somebody else, I will be working for myself, and probably doing a lot of traveling," he said. He intends to start his own financial planning business that would help people in the community learn to attain home loans, get out of debt and grasp general finance at a more affordable price. He still thinks of ways to help the community that inspired his growth. Although starting a company would mean that he would no longer get to interact with kids as much, he said he realizes the empowering process never stops. His experience through ASPIRA's Summer Youth Career Exploration Program helped open his eyes and see that anything is possible, such as owning your own business. It also taught him that no matter where you live or what others may tell you, success is possible. "It teaches you to look beyond, and it gives you the opportunity to see that it's not just what you get around, but that you have an opportunity," he explained. "If there is anything else that we could do in this community, it would be to give this hope to students." |
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