Who I Learned To Do The Wrong Things In My Life

Growing up, I have been an individual who has pushed myself beyond the minimum requirements in order to succeed. In high school I excelled in both academics and athletics. I graduated in the top 10% of my class and lettered in hockey and tennis my sophomore, junior, and senior year. I worked hard and put in extra time in order to set myself apart from others. Succeeding in both school and athletics made me a responsible, reliable, and an organized individual. These experiences made me a versatile individual and have given me a work ethic that has benefited me with my academics in college and with my work and volunteer experiences.

I do not drink, smoke, or go out to parties. I have a set time that I go to bed for myself so that I can be well rested for school. I make sure that I finish my homework at home, not before class, and I help out my community the best that I can. I do all of this is so that I can keep up my high standing in my town. I committed myself to my town. I sing the national anthem at the memorial day service, I lay flags and pick them up with the veterans, I am also very active in my church. All of this leads back to my academic success, because without my family and friends I would not have the qualities I have now. My mother and father have taught me to be a great leader and to focus on my goals, and being a part of the NHS has been a goal of mine since the seventh grade. I have worked very hard over the years to keep positive people surrounding me and to keep bad influences out of my life, and I will continue it and teach people the importance of keeping positive people in their lives because it can change a

I was only an average student when it pertained to grades. I did not take high school very seriously as I had a lot of constant issues going on. Starting with having a sibling with a moderate form of autism. Then facing quite a bit of bullying on a daily basis. The only thing that I knew was to go out and get a job. My family never went to college.

High school is a time associated with many changes, that can include peoples’ personalities, friends, and significant others. My high school experience included all those changes and one very drastic change, moving to Seattle, Washington. The west coast was never a place I imagined to end up and defiantly not during high school. The summer before my senior year my family moved; that experience taught me many life lessons including life does not always happen as planned and to make the best of every situation.

I have always been academically talented. However, this has been a double edged sword - both a blessing, and a curse. Because academics came so easily, I excelled in school. Conversely, because acadmics came so easily, I never developed a strong work ethic or discipline, in terms of

I was raised in a family that values pride, unselfishness, and hard work. Coming from Mexico, my parents were brought up in a poor, crime-affiliated environment. Underprivileged and destitute, my parents prevailed through manual labor and persistence. They could not attain any other success through education as it was deemed unnecessary. My grandmother did not receive any education and my mother only finished the fifth grade when she realized it was time to find a job and support the family.

Moving and school were two very important things in my life, but they weren’t the only things that shaped me. My mother’s strength also impacted the way I thought of myself. Sure, she had a lot of hard times, yet in the end she still came out on top. My mother payed off the house, bought us groceries, allowed me to continue my swimming lessons, and still managed to spend time with my sister and I all while her world seemed to be crumbling down. Nowadays I realize how unrealistic all of that seems, but somehow she still managed to pull it

High school was hell. I went to a small school, very conservative and very athletics based. If you weren’t playing sports you were seen as less than the other students. Since I wasn’t on any teams I didn’t have many friends. The ones I’d had before high school had moved away or moved on from me. It didn’t help that the year before I started my freshman year I’d gotten diagnosed with major depression. Wanting to die every morning and school do not mix well. My freshman year seemed dire.

Ever Since I was in first grade, my parents always expected me to stay at the top of the class. In order to do that, my parents got me a private teacher. I went to school an hour earlier than any other student and stayed after school an hour to review my classes. Until the weekend, I rarely had time for sports and entertainment. I did not appreciate what I was doing, but was all the sacrifice and hard work worth it? I did not realize that until my grades were shown on my report cards and how much knowledge I had more than any other students. My parents, as well as my teachers were proud of me. Sacrificing my playtime, consistently studying hard, and developing my skills also helped open up a lot of opportunities such as getting scholarships.

When I was a little girl my parents stressed the importance of education. I was very focused and motivated by their encouragement to always do my best. I was a high achiever and maintained good grades academically. When I became a teenager I rebelled from my parents and made decisions that weren’t the best at the time. I became pregnant at 16 and chose to raise my daughter. I knew by becoming a mom succeeding academically would be a challenge. I was motivated by my goal to show my daughter that education was important no matter the obstacles in the way. I first made it my main goal to finish high school and help my significant other finish high school as well. We were both very determined and we both graduated out of high school early by taking

Watching my mother push through hardships has taught me to set even higher goals for myself. As I grew older, these family traits and values became

The mix of my complicated family history and my strong supportive mother have shaped me into the person that I am today. My biological father, Clint, battled with a secret drug addiction that my sweet mother knew nothing about until it was too late. When I was only a year old, the drug addiction had gotten the best of Clint and he made the decision to take his own life, leaving me and my mother heart broken. Clint’s choices impacted my life in such ways that I cannot explain. Growing up, it was just me and my mother until I was four, however, in this time we took the bad situation that we were in and we did not let it get the best of us. We chose to move forward and to take positive things from this horrific time. We learned through this experience that life goes on. No matter how hard the situation is, you must move on. Learning this mentality at such a young age has taught me that I cannot fret the small things, I have to look at the bigger picture because that is what really matters.

As a two year old, I wasn’t able to talk my father out of suicide. My background isn’t the most typical, and it's quite astonishing to be where I am. I may not be the top in my class, but my background is what makes me unique. I lost my father at a very young age and my mother moved us around often, one abusive boyfriend after another. The one thing I never let go of is my love of people.

Although my high school experience was not the brightest nor the happiest, the four years allowed me to develop and mature to the young woman I am today, and I am endlessly indebted. I believe it is not life's obstacles that determine and define who we are, but it is how we choose to endure and conquer those hardships, and high school was indeed a hardship.

From a young age the importance of education has always been stressed to me. Graduating high school, and then continuing to a university, and earning my degree, was not a question, but a requirement in my household. Being the youngest of six children, and two hardworking middle class parents, I knew from a young age to accomplish and reach the goals set not only by myself but my parents, I would have work extremely hard. A signification person that has impacted my journey has been my mom, whose influence has helped me get to where I am today.