Personal Statement : My Family

If someone were to ever tell my younger self that I would one day be one of five siblings, I would have never believed them. Unquestionably, my siblings are an enormous part of who I am; aspiring me to become an intelligent and an affectionate human being. Life doesn't always hurl obstacles in your way, but when it does, it can turn out to be completely disparate and even fascinating from the original thought. At the ripe old age of eleven years old, I was expected to step up to the plate and take care of my new adopted siblings, David and Alysa. Countless responsibilities, circumstances, and a world of authority and gratitude have shaped me along the way due to that one event. Indeed, I am grateful that my parents went through with the adoption because even though I had an impact on my adopted siblings, they have propelled me to become an exceptional brother, son, friend, and student.

One day waking up thinking this was a normal day at my birth home, Jamaica, I walked to my grandparents’ house, stayed there for a couple of hours, then I saw this pretty, shiny, new Nissan Altima pulled up, and stopped. Moments later a tall dark-skinned guy stepped out the vehicle, fixed his hat, and walked to the door. When the doors open he burst into tears and said to me, “Hey son”, at first my siblings and I was in shock because we have not seen our father since 2004, I did not know what he looked like until I saw pictures of me and him together. Later that night we party and have fun together. The next morning, he drove in and we took pictures, then, we went to dunns-river falls, also we went and eat.

History is my academic passion -- specifically the archeological and genealogical bases of individuals and families. But setting aside bones, genetics, and all that fun evidence, I also love to study the more anecdotal past and present situation of a family: where they've lived, what they've done, and how they've done it. Studying my own family, i've found that neither of my parents, or my soon to be step-dad has obtained a degree, and with my older brother choosing the armed forces route, I'm left to navigate on my own and chart new territory for my family -- I will be the first to get a college degree. Hopefully my choice will influence my younger sibling to also pursue her goals. I believe by making this decision, to be the first to

To begin, I was my mother’s first born. I am the oldest of the biological siblings and for 5 years I was an only sibling, I was treated much different and knew I could get away with more for these first years. After 13 years, my parents adopting my older sister. I was the oldest sibling for 13 years then I was the middle sibling. I was no longer the “rule setter” and instead had more strict rules due to my older sister’s behavior. She also came from a much different background than me and she helped shape me and open my eyes to how different people can be raised.

When I first moved to New York as a newly-arrived immigrant nine years ago, I was amazed, among other things, at the diversity and opportunities that I observed around me. It was equally shocking, as I underwent the process of becoming a New Yorker, to see the uneven geographical spread of these great opportunities throughout the city. Specifically, I am speaking of the disadvantages of children in low income neighborhoods with higher crime rates than surrounding areas.

I began my college education with a desire to become a pediatrician and ending with a degree in Family Studies, with a focus in Crisis Management. As with both aspirations it has always been about helping children. Upon graduation I obtained a position as a Forensic Interviewer with the Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County. Working with this agency fulfilled a part of my passion, however being away from my infant son at the time was heart wrenching. My husband and I chose for me to stay home during the early years of my children. While I stayed home I provided summer and after school care to a few families for 7 years and I realized, even more so, how I love being available to children in their various life stages. For the past 4 years

Growing up I consider being an only child an essential part of my identity, on the other hand, a relationship with a sibling could be deeply formative versus the absence for me has been a powerful stimulus to my imagination and my growth mindset as a person. When I am introduced as an only child, people often react as if growing up by myself meant that I was growing up lonely. It is most certainly true that I spent a lot of time alone even though I had friends from school whom I spent my most time with, but I never felt alone. As a young boy, I loved to get lost in various creative activities where I needed no partner or playmate to communicate with. The act of creation itself became my friend. I challenged myself upon improving my skills, researching about different topics and reading about different personalities. This gave me satisfaction into daydreaming. It was a powerful tool to give me ideas to shape my future.

I immediately became elated to the fact that I will be the oldest child out of three brothers. I remember how excited I was to tell all my friends and teachers that I was going to have another brother or sister. On May 7, 2007, my little brother Joseph was born. I remember during the time he was born, my grandmother started to live with my family. She would pick me up from school everyday. During the course of first grade, I started to have more responsibilities of taking care of my little brother. For example, I would help my mother or grandmother whenever they need assistance. Taking care of my little brother gave me basic knowledge and skills I use today when I

I grew up in a small village in Mexico where there were no health care professionals. My grandmother was one of the women in the village who would take care of the sick. The knowledge and wisdom she gained over the years was passed on to my mother. One day, I remember my mother asking me to accompany her. It was late at night, all of the dogs would bark at us as we walked by, and I did not know where we were going. We came to the house of a sick child. It was then, I realized that my mother had been asked to come and give the child medicine. The privilege of getting to help the child get well again gave me a sense of accomplishment. What we had done there guided me to strive for something that would give me that same sense of accomplishment. In 1996, my family and I got the opportunity to move to the United States. As a little girl, I did not understand how such a sad and difficult goodbye would bring me to a better future. A place that has brought me closer, than I had ever thought, to accomplishing my dream of becoming a pharmacist. I am grateful for of all of the opportunities that living and studying in the United States has brought.

I am one of the founding members of Family Transcends. We are an international mentorship program designed to end isolation and lower the suicide rate of transgender and nonbinary youth. I am responsible for executive operations and work 10-15 hours a week as the Senior Vice President and the Chief Operating Officer.

I waited with my other siblings while the receptionist told us where we needed to go. As we walked up and down the stairs and through the seemly never-ending hallways, I felt as if everything was suddenly falling into place. This baby boy was meant to come in my life and knew that. It finally appeared, the room my mom was in. This was the moment I had been anticipating. The adults got to go in first and look, while the kids sat outside and waited. My Dad walked out, “You guys ready to see him?” Of course I was ready. He opened the door and there he was, my little baby brother. As I went to hold him for the first time, he felt so small and fragile. “What’s his name?” I asked. My mom responded, “Ethan, Ethan

One of the biggest changes that has ever occurred in my life happened when I was in first grade. That was the year my family adopted my baby sister Allison. Allison came into my life when she was just three months old, and I can still remember my parents asking if I would like to have a younger sibling. My immediate thought to the question was “YES”. I distinctly remember picturing me slamming my door when my little me made me angry, playing games with her or him, and sharing secrets we didn’t tell our parents. I truly loved the idea of having a younger brother or sister, and was excited that my parents would be giving me an amazing gift.

As an adult with kids, I look back and I am grateful that my foster mom instilled in me a desire for hard work and diligence through weekly chores. Of course, I did not feel this way while I was cleaning the bathroom every Saturday, but as an adult, I understand the important lessons I was learning by doing them. Someday, your kids will actually thank you for making them do chores! Chores teach kids structure, hard work, and appreciation, and are important in creating a well-rounded child, student, and future adult.

Growing up I was an only child, but I remember always wishing that I had an older sibling or was born a twin or that maybe someday I would be a big sister myself. My Aunt Sherry lived close by while my cousin Morgan, who is eight months older than I, and myself grew up and we were extremely close;, she still feels more like my younger but older sister to this day. When we were five and six years old my Aunt Sherry had fraternal twins, a girl and a boy, Macey and Collin. Now I felt that I had three siblings. Come the third grade, when Morgan and I were eight and nine years old, my Aunt Sherry moved to Indiana taking my cousins with her. I had never wanted siblings as much as I did at this point.

No one can’t meet a family like mine’s. My family is well diversified. Every family member plays an important role in all my family’s lives. In my family, there are four people: my father, my mother, my little brother and me. My father is one who brings money home and is also responsible for organizing and planning family trips. My mother is the one who is in charge for making meals and makes sure everyone eats at the appropriate times. My little brother is the pet of the family. He actually doesn’t have any responsibilities, for he’s the pet. I am the rock of support in my family. I always go beyond my parents’ expectations. I also support my younger cousins and little brother, by being a role model that they can look up to. Another