Grew Up Here

However, in contrast to living in Morristown, when I moved to Park Ridge, Illinois at the start of middle school, I will never forget meeting my classmates for the first time only to realize not one was of a different race. In fact, there was not one African American in my entire middle school! This was shocking to me. Transferring from a diverse school community to a completely homogenous school community made me more aware of my race simply because there

grew up in Chicago, Illinois, a beautiful city surrounded by violence and controversy by the media. I found things more simple when I was kid growing up here, there wasn't much to worry about but as I got older things became more complex here. The sounds of the " L "' or as you know it as, The Train, and the roaring sounds of cars passing by my house made me feel alive while growing up and as a matter of fact still does. You could wake up in the morning and see the vibrant blue skies being pierced by the skyscrapers and see other kids playing ball or riding their bikes. When it was summer time I would play ins sprinklers or go downtown and play in the fountains with my family. Of course, like most big cities I had to watch my back while growing up because you never knew what somebody was up to. It's weird really growing up here because you never know what's going to happen next , wether it's a good thing or a bad thing. All I can really say about growing up in Chicago is that if I had the chance to redo it, I'd do if a million times.

And I also remember the day, when my parents informed me that we were moving. The plan was to move out from the clustered city of New York, and shift into the suburban setting of New Jersey. As a young child, I was startled and not sure if I was ready to be able to commit and abstained the thought. The thought of leaving my friends and the place where I grew up in all my life, irked me emotionally. With a new city, came a new house and a new environment.

Growing up I lived in the small town of Duncan, Oklahoma; although, not nearly as small as the town I currently reside in. Throughout my adolescence, I attended Mark Twain Elementary School and as I was ending the third grade, my parents decided that we should move to Fox, Oklahoma to be closer to my grandparents. Moving would bring big changes my way such as a smaller school, living in the middle of nowhere, and new ways of entertainment. Living in the country has its pros and cons, but I can tell you the only thing I could think of the night we moved out there was the cons. Eventually, I had grown accustomed to the silence, lack of traffic, and having nothing to do. Looking back I feel that if we had not moved to the country then I would

As we arrive to Chicago, I began to see tall skyscrapers, which I was very afraid of, I was always afraid of them falling. It was a totally different world, and atmosphere for me. I remember getting my first bite of pizza, and simply just puking it right back out because my body was not used to it, at that time I had no idea that pizza in a couple of years would become one of my favorite foods. After living in Chicago for about a year my family decided to move to Miami, Florida, just because the Chicago weather for us was too cold and windy. In Florida I went to my first year of school in the U.S, not being able to speak english was a major problem. This problem caused me to be held back in 1st grade. After about a year we moved again,because the weather in Florida was too hot. This time we moved to Ohio, a place I have called home for about 10

The decision to leave my hometown, has been a definite turning point in my life, showing me what it means to live in a diverse society vs. the narrow minded, sheltered existence that I was raised in.

The move to High Island was the one biggest thing that transformed my life. Moving is usually a dreadful thing, but for me it

As children, we grow up believing that we can do anything, be anything. The world is our playground, and we were free to imagine our future. Consequently, this imagination and boundless opportunities is what draws so many to the ideals of the American Dream. The unwavering hope that anything can be achieved through determination and a tireless work-ethic. The common misconception is once we have attained the dream, the luxuries will come soon after.

Now when I say tiny town I mean it. The population is about 1,400 people with one gas station, one grocery store, and 2 restaurants with some gift shops. The first time I saw Grand Marais we drove into town and in a blink of an eye it was gone. I’ve never seen anything like this other than in movies. We finally got to her cabin, and it was one of three houses on that entire road which at first seemed horrific. But something I’ll never forget is how bright the stars were. We stood outside and saw every star in that sky, since there wasn’t many neighbors with their lights on, or highways with a cluster of traffic. The first morning I was ther, Brooklyn started to show me some amazing spots such as Hurricane river, Tahquamenon Falls, Marquette Harbor, and so much more. I got to experience a place that most people don't even realize is on the map. When the vacation was finally over I asked my friends back at home what they did. Which you can probably guess was them glued to their phones and laptops all summer. I had an amazing summer that I’ll always remember, and I'm glad it didn't involve

I was born in St.Catherines hospital a couple blocks away from my brown bricked house on alder street. My home was fairly simple, more on the cramped size. It was an apartment. In the streets litter everywhere, the neighbors cared less on how they presented themselves. They cared only about drinking, partying and having the time of their life. The odor of marijuana floated around the whole city. The crime rate in East Chicago is one of the highest in the nation. Drive-bys, drug dealing, and robbery was a daily activity. Yet, that never

Richard Nixon once stated “The American dream does not come to those who fall asleep”. If not for his words, I wouldn’t have realized the potential that lay within me. As of today I’ve achieved, in my own eyes, what’s come to be known as the American dream. During the past seven years, I’ve graduated from Washburn University, became a molecular biologist, and established a set of values that I live by.

There is change everywhere in the world; every minute, every second, but this change hit me hard. I was living an ideal lifestyle in Long Island. I had plenty of friends and my family lived near by. I was on cloud nine. That all changed in an instant when I came home from school one day and my parents announced that we were moving to Texas.

Growing up in a very little town in Illinois was a lot different than growing up in Houston, Texas. When I was in the fourth grade I found many things to have changed about my surroundings, I currently lived in a place where, the people thought and acted differently. I know now reading about it and understanding more that some of those changes were for the good and some were not. Small town living has its advantages such as, very close friendships, close approximately to may things, and friendly people. Looking back, I also realized that there were a lot of disadvantages such as lack of transportation, affects of a poor education, no opportunities for growth, crime, no diversity, and low paying jobs and housing. Now that I am older, and aware of the affects of living in a small town, I can see how these many things affected my life and will continue affect it in the future.

In 2009 my family and I moved from Chicago to Dubuque. I was 6 years old when we moved to Dubuque and it has really help me to be who I am today. My family and I packed up our bags and got on the road to Dubuque. The reason we moved to Dubuque was because of my dad's work. My dad works at Bodine Electric Company as an accountant. I would say it was a really emotional move but I was only six and I probably didn’t really care. When we got to Dubuque we checked into the Grand Harbor hotel/waterpark where my sister and I had some fun in the water, after that we looked at some houses and eventually chose the one I'm still living in today.

Packing up your life and belongings is a difficult task to do. My family lived in Apple Valley, MN, until the week before my 7th birthday. My parents told my younger brother and I that we were moving to Hastings, MN. I had no idea where that was as a child. I was excited about this new experience. I have always been interested in travelling. When we arrived in Hastings, it was nothing like my old town. I knew nobody, all I knew was that I lived in the middle of the woods. Moving to a different town isn’t just about the new house, it is also about making new friends at a new school, and living a different lifestyle.