In the stories I Just Want to Be Average, by Mike Rose and The Conquest of Desire, by Richard Rodrigez, a chronology of their educational progress is laid out. Both are children of immigrant parents with minimal education. Who families settled in working-class California. Without having their parents as role models at school, Rose and Rodriguez had to find their own way through the educational systems. Despite the lack of supportive social conditions, both Rodriguez and Rose were inspired to overcome the status quo expectations bestowed upon them by their environment. Mike Rose, who wrote I Just Wanna Be Average, entered school with a bleak future. His lower-class immigrant parents hoped that sending their son to Our Lady of Mercy would put him on the path to success and surpass the educational attainment of all his family members. Rose shares, “No one in the family had gone to college; only two of my uncles had completed high school” (166). Unfortunately, Rose ended up in the professional program. A program that prepared students, not for university, but to better integrate into the working class. The career path is one of those that does not pave the way to a bright future. Its graduating class is made up of underachieving students who lack motivation and have no desire to move forward. The same could be said of Mercy's staff. Rose paints a picture of his educators by mentioning, “Civics was taken over by a football coach who had difficulty reading the textbook aloud – and reading aloud was the core of his pedagogy” (163 ). Surrounded by stubbornly dumb students and unenthusiastic teachers, Mike Rose seemed to have no chance. Just as Rose didn't have the support of an educated role model within his school... halfway.... .. it shaped him, Rodriguez explains, "Without extraordinary determination and great help from others - at home and at school - there is little chance of success" (197). Being able to tolerate the lack of support from his family and be grateful for the role it played in his personal quest for knowledge is something to be admired. Although they come from different backgrounds, Mike Rose and Richard Rodriguez share a similar passion and thirst for knowledge. . Both used inspiration and determination to break out of the mold created by their family history. Even though their chances of academic success differed, the character gained from their individual experiences allowed for change. Luckily both of these stories have happy endings. A world where both the “average kid” and the “scholarship kid” can overcome preconceived expectations and become who they want to become.