As individuals we all have our own reasons for the motivation that keeps us focused on successes in life. A motivation is an incentive that can cause people to do things that they never thought might be in their reach. A motivation gives a student a reason to wake up in the morning for that 8:00 A.M. class or to study an extra hour longer when really all she or he wants to do is sleep or go have some fun. Motivations can come in all ways - through people, faith, goals, and dreams. Most of the students that we interviewed felt they received their motivation through their family and friends. One student explains: "My friends made me reflect - like if I don't go I'm going to be like them; working in Burger King or the fields."

    By watching and listening to loved ones throughout the years, the students have gained motivation for going to college to further their education so that their lives might take a different path than their family and peers. Like most people, the freshmen that we spoke with want more out of life than what has been offered to them. Another student speaks out about how his parents' hard work led him to college life:

I have always had my father tell me to keep on getting educated. I guess that's my main point; they never wanted me to suffer like they did. Well, both my parents when they got here [the United States] worked in the fields. My father worked in cauliflower and mother in strawberries. It's not the best job; they both come in late and you know how dirty and stuff it is. I hardly ever saw them until 7pm. Yeah, they would tell me how I don't want to go their way and education is the way. (Vargas)

    Overall we found that motivation among most of our interviewees came from a desire to help better themselves and their families, who have had to struggle to survive.