LONGVIEW, Texas — The reality of moving to a new country and adapting to a new way of life can be challenging for almost anyone.
It's an experience Pine Tree High School senior Marcos Hernandez de la Mora went through when he and his family immigrated to the United States in 2015.
He entered the sixth grade at Pine Tree Middle School that year, not knowing the challenges he had ahead would be learning to speak a new language.
"Here in the U.S., they teach a whole new different way," Hernandez de la Mora said. "My biggest challenge was speaking in English and trying to talk to people in a new environment and a whole new country was new for me."
It was also a time when Hernandez de la Mora would learn more about his disability, hindering his ability to communicate effectively.
"My autism, I didn't know much about it; all I knew was it was hard for me to speak to people and understand what people were trying to say to me," Hernandez de la Mora said.
Hernandez de la Mora wouldn't let his disadvantages stop him from working hard in the classroom. His struggles later turned into strengths through the support of his family, teachers and coaches.
"The help of my parents, I couldn't have done it without them," Hernandez de la Mora said. "The teachers, they helped me a lot too and my coach also told me to push hard and finish strong."
Those words would later transcend into Hernandez de la Mora's work ethic and grades, earning him a 3.4 GPA -- an accomplishment he and his mother are proud of.
"I'm very proud of him; just that journey of him being autistic and having teachers seeing his potential was good for everybody," Pilar de la Mora, the district translator for Pine Tree ISD, said. "He's become a wonderful young man and there's a lot of hope for him and his future."
Hernandez de la Mora will attend Kilgore College this fall and major in general studies in hopes he discovers his career path.