One of the best and worst pieces of news I have ever received was finding out that I was coming to the United States. I never imagined that leaving the Dominican Republic would be so hard. It made me feel depressed many times. Three years have passed since I arrived, and my journey has been full of obstacles and challenges. Many of these challenges began when I started school. Leaving my family, especially my two lovely grandmothers, one of whom passed away a week ago, and my friends was very difficult. Moving to a completely new place was hard. Despite all the problems, I learned to cope with everything over time and to understand that everything happens for a reason.

In 2022, I came to the United States thinking it would be like in the movies and that everything would be perfect. That was a mistake. When I was at the airport, I did not cry, but when I woke up the next morning, everything felt completely different. I no longer felt like I was with my family because it had been so long since I had seen my brothers, and it felt awkward. My first impression when I went out on the streets was that everyone was different from the people in my home country. Everyone seemed rude, no one had time, and my family was busy working, so I felt lonely most of the time. I arrived during the summer, so there was no school yet, and I did not know what it would be like. When I went to the school to enroll, they gave me the news that I would be downgraded to 9th grade again. My English was not very good, and even though I had a basic understanding, I was always too embarrassed to speak it. On top of that, I had no knowledge of the Regents exams. I agreed with the school’s decision since the other options were not any better, and I was completely new to everything, so I accepted it.

As time passed, the thought of being in classes with people of different ages, having to adjust to new subjects and old ones, and doing it all over again became overwhelming. I was terrified that I would not be capable of passing the Regents. Being new was my biggest challenge, it stressed me so much that I felt physical pain and cried when I got home from studying. This was because I have always tried to do my best in my studies, and academic validation has always been important to me. The first few months of school were the hardest. I used to go to class nervous every day, afraid the teacher would call on me to read out loud or answer a question in English. I remember one time in English class when I had to read a paragraph, and my accent made everyone laugh. I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to disappear. That moment stayed in my head for a long time, and I started to avoid talking as much as possible. The Regents never seemed that hard for me, but when the teachers started to put pressure on me, I was terrified. My principal was mean, and he told me that if I didn’t pass all nine Regents, I would not be able to graduate.

I was going through a lot, leaving my country and my family, and now facing a pressure that I thought I would never experience. Time passed, and I studied every day for hours. Sometimes I just couldn’t hold myself together, and I found myself crying because of the stress. The week of the Regents, I was so stressed out that my shoulders were hurting. I thought that with a pill I would be fine, but at 2:00 a.m. I had to call my parents so they could take me to the hospital. The answer was the same, physical pain from stress. My shoulders felt like a rock, and the crying made it worse. After the Regents, I felt a big relief, I passed them of course, and with time, I got used to the Regents and passed them all. With this, I just want to say that being a teen immigrant is not for the weak. It’s something that makes me proud because I know that life always gets better and that I am not the only one in this situation.

I also started to learn about American culture little by little. At first, I did not understand many traditions, like Thanksgiving or prom. In my country, we have different ways of celebrating and expressing ourselves. I missed the warmth of the people, the loud music, and the food from back home. But I also began to appreciate new things here, like how organized everything is, how people value education, and how many opportunities there are if you work hard. I learned to balance both cultures and take the best from each one. Even though I struggled with English, it slowly started to get easier. I began to understand more conversations and even make jokes with my classmates. I joined school clubs and participated in events that helped me meet new people. That was how I met some of my closest friends, who made me feel like I belonged. We shared similar stories about moving to a new country and starting over. It made me realize I was not alone and that many others were going through the same things.

All these challenges made things even harder. Academically, I did well, but emotionally, I was struggling a lot. The environment was completely different from what I was used to. However, all of this led me to the conclusion that I had to appreciate what I had accomplished and understand that everything is temporary. I made many friends, the most important of whom are still with me today and have given me a lot of support. I also received help from my teachers and counselors and have shared many meaningful moments thanks to these people, including my parents, who sacrificed everything for me to be here today. Now, when I look back, I can see how much I have grown as a person. Moving to another country taught me to be more independent and patient. I learned to value small things, like being able to communicate better every day, understanding jokes in English, or explaining something without being afraid. I still miss my country, my family, and my old friends, but I know that this experience has made me stronger and more mature.

In conclusion, I’m ready to fail, and I want to fail so many times that I can master the art of failure and try everything without fear. Adapting to life in the United States presents many challenges, from cultural and language barriers to adjusting to a new social and academic environment. Moving to a new country can be both exciting and overwhelming because it requires people to adapt to new customs, systems, and expectations. While the journey is often full of frustration and confusion, it also brings chances for growth, learning, and self-discovery. The key to overcoming these challenges is resilience, patience, and the willingness to accept new experiences. In the end, adjusting to life in the United States is not just about overcoming difficulties but also about becoming stronger and learning more about yourself.

Critical thinking makes it a better way to challenge ourselves. Psychology need more that belief and opinions to grow as a science, and to achieve this, critical thinking as a fundamental base is the way. This critical thinking includes question assumptions and skepticism, to get a logical answer but also a clear evidence of why things happen the way it does. This elements support psychology as a science and provides a lot of diverse perspectives because everyone has a different way to use critical thinking. Therefore, psychology would lose its credibility and strength without critical thinking and the others two factor that goes with it.

     To get more determine about this concept, critical thinking, skepticism and question assumptions work in one to a better explanation of what psychology have for us. Psychology is challenging, as we made assumptions, our thoughts get more developed and get stronger ideas. let’s make it more clear, questioning assumptions start the process and make you think, “is this information or idea valid?”. Then, critical thinking gives the tools to analyze the information and find the logic of it, and skepticism keeps our knowledge at a certain limit and stop us from jumping to conclusions without having a solid evidence. This three together make sure that psychology remains a science based on evidence not intuition, beliefs or opinions. 

     In addition to bring question assumptions and skepticism, critical thinking offer others tools that allow to analyze our data logically. What happens is that in psychology this type of tools includes others concepts, the scientific method, naturalistic observation, and statistical analysis, those aligned with critical thinking skills are going to help proof your hypothesis. Critical thinking is thereto ensure that psychology grows as a science everyday based on evidence. Psychology has a pattern that can’t be ignored or changed, and it’s important to keep those ideas in mind.

     Another important factor of critical thinking is its role in decision-making. When people make choices critically, they are less likely to be influenced by negative information, or emotional reactions. Instead, they rely on logic, reliable evidence, and diverse perspectives to reach well-informed conclusions. For example, students applying critical thinking in research projects do not simply accept sources at face value but evaluate their credibility, context, and relevance. This habit make an stronger arguments and more trustworthy results. In everyday life, critical thinking helps people to get options responsibly, leading to smarter decisions that benefit both themselves and their communities.

     In conclusion, critical thinking can help to build a better communication and knowledge base in strong evidence. Questioning assumptions and skepticism work with critical thinking to approach a situation as logical as possible. Individuals develop a clearer understanding of complex issues and with that, they about being misled by unreliable claims or belief. This mindset not only improves the quality of learning but also prepares people to participate responsibly in society. Whether in school, at work, or in daily life, critical thinking promotes independence, and fairness if well used. Ultimately, it provides individuals with the intellectual tools necessary to face challenges with confidence and integrity.

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