My Family Experiences

Growing up in a household full of girls with a single mother, I learned how to be strong and independent. My mother was never really the type of mother to be affectionate, she had more of a tough love point of view. I was always expected to get the best grades I could possibly have along with being focused and determined to go to college which most of my family did not do. My mother taught me how to always be respectful and have good manners especially when it came to other adults. From the age of 5, I was doing chores in the house, and setting goals for my future.

I Never got a childhood, I never celebrated my birthday with my father for eight years. Ever since I was as young as eight, I was taking care of my little brother.Embracing the role of mother at such a young age causes you to mature fast. I stayed positive though although it was hard to see the one person I look up to the most; My mother try to put on a strong face for me and my brother despite the fact that we never had money growing up. I feel eternally grateful to my mother for always putting food on the table, never saying no when I pointed out the fact that I needed yet another pair

I had two hard working parents who went above and beyond to ensure that my sister and I had a good childhood by trying to grant as many requests that they could. They always stressed the importance of hard work to achieve anything and everything we set our minds to and education, but I was very young so education wasn't that high on my priority list. I wanted to become a truck driver or a construction worker, but after my dad suffered a back injury at his job I knew that I wanted to fix his

I grew up watching my mother strive to give me a better life and become a better person. Amongst great difficulty, she decided to finish school and attend university. Her hard work and determination have marked and defined my life. Every day she had to work, then go to university and later take care of me. She excelled in every aspect of her life, teaching me that the impossible is overcome through hard work and

We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations, and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors helped you to grow? (800)

Growing up, my mom was a big impact on my life. Two days of the week she was a dental assistant. The other days she was just my mom. When she came home on the days after work she would smell minty and fresh from working in her dental office. I feel blessed to have been able to have my mother as a constant influence in my life. She showed me that I could be as mother as well as have a good job; I did not need to pick one or the other. My mother taught me how to stand up for myself and how not to be a pushover. One of the most important things I think that my mother taught me was how to be compassionate. Even as a young child when I heard about some of the terrible things that had happened in the world, my heart broke for those

For me to discuss a single event that transitioned me from childhood to adulthood would be impossible. As people grow, they experience many events and those experiences are what shape us into the people we are today. Starting from my origins, I was born in a dense city called Reading. Throughout the city there are people roaming the streets from different ethnicities. Growing up was tough, it didn’t matter who you were because you were always surrounded. You did one wrong move and someone would look at you differently. Hearing stories about my young childhood, made me a little sad. My dad was never around, and my mom was either at work, or inside trying to take care of the house. At first it was only me and my older brother. We got along fine, but as your average pair of street kids, we would get in trouble from time to time. Since we didn’t have too much money, our family tried to get by with what we got. We couldn’t buy all the toys that we wanted, and even if we did, there was a good chance

By the grace of god, I was given a wonderful mom that actually cared about me and wanted me to succeed and live a good life other than the one I was living in back in the day. She heavily supported me throughout my elementary and intermediate years of school and she still gives me that same support. She gave me hope for a better future. My mentality frame in middle school was to get my mom out from the poverty lifestyle and later in life purchase her a house

Watching my mother live from pay check to pay check when I was young was difficult. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with other parents but, she still somehow managed to get me everything I wanted, and more. Even though I was too young to understand, I could feel the stress, and the struggles my mom faced every day. She was only 20 years old when I was born and, because of that she had no choice but to grow up fast. At such a young age, I saw the effects of being a single parent, and the ways it changed my mom. She not only had to be a young mother but, she had to find a way to replace the void of a father, or a father figure in my life. My mom was strong, independent and courageous. Growing up watching her live her dreams under all the circumstances she faced, made me want to strive for a better life for myself. Seeing how hard is was to live and to have enough

Growing up as a single child is not easy. Even though you get spoiled a lot by your parents, you also have this obligation to be thankful for everything they do. My father was a very hard working man. My mother was at home part of the time. The other part she would spend running her mouth, talking good and bad about

I grew up in a small family in India. There are a lot of things that I can learn from my family. I wouldn’t be here without my family. Most important thing in the world is family. The family is the place where you can learn and express what you learn. I’m grateful for my family. But I remember one day my parents told me that we are going to America, the land of dreams. I was thirteen years old. All those years I lived in my own country, and now I’m moving to America. When my parents gave me the shocking news I couldn’t stop thinking about the way of life in America. I never stopped to think about the people I was leaving behind my cousins, grandparents and the only life I had ever known. Days went by, and here we are at the JFK airport. Amidst all the sadness, and fear of my lifestyle I couldn’t feel the excitement. I admit that it was difficult at the beginning. But then it became easy. There is always happy after the bitterness. Now I’m excited to show people and tell them that how important a family is and it is eternal.

Before I migrated to the U.S. I had a lot of friends and family. I used to live in the Philippines with my grandparents, my grandpa is 62 years young, he is a retired policeman, my grandma is a housewife. I lived with them when my parents were abroad. Moving into a foreign country can be difficult, I didn’t know much English. I had to get my grades up so that I can enter middle school in the U.S. I was a troublemaker in elementary and I needed to redeem myself so I can go to school in the U.S. We had a whole summer to get our visa, but before that we had to say our goodbyes to my relatives and friends. We had a party before we went to Manila. I felt sad when I said my goodbyes, I also was happy at the same time.

A time when I faced a challenge was when my mother and father separated. I was around seven years old,so I don’t remember exactly when they broke up. Unfortunately,my mother never told me the reason why she left my father. After that my mother and father and mother set up visitation days. I would go to my father’s house, which was his mother’s house, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, every other Friday and weekend. I would would be with my mom on Monday, Wednesday, and the Fridays when I was with her on the weekend. Being the naive little child I was, I thought that it was normal for children’s parents to have separate houses. I started to realize how wrong my thoughts were around the age of 10. I would see my friend’s parents together and wonder why my mother and father weren’t like that. My suspicions were confirmed when I interrogated my mother about it. She told me they weren’t talking to each other anymore.

Third, my parents’ parenting style influenced strongly what I am now. They had democratic parenting style. Therefore, I could discuss with my parents even something which they did not want me to do. Also, they set some reasonable rules which I should follow, and whenever they made rules they explained me why they made such rules. They advised me when I was depressed; however, they have never forced me what to do. Throughout my experience with my parents, I could understand the importance of independence and taking responsibility of my choice. Also, because they did not force their opinions, I could develop my own identity without many conflicts.

Growing up ten years older than my little sister, caused me to mature fast. I was the one who she was going to look up to for the rest of her life. Often times I have been responsible for her. I have had to drop her off at piano, get her ready for cheer practice, and take her to church. The list is never ending. When she was born, I became very motherly and acted like a second mom to her. Having her in my life made me want to be a role model to not only children, but people in general.