Reflection Paper

I am an individual who has an intellectual curiosity in the academia world, and never found the practice of learning boring, but rather intriguing and fulfilling. I grew up in a dominant Hispanic community with my father, his parents, his brother, and my sister and I. My grandparents crossed over to the United States from Mexico when they were young in search of a better, opportunistic life for them and the future generations. My parents met when they were sophomores in high school and had my sister and I when they were in their early 20s, but separated shortly after. Although this proved a difficult obstacle for my father to overcome, my grandmother volunteered to help raise my sister and I while my dad, uncle, and grandfather brought the

After the 5th grade my family and I moved out of the neighborhood I have ever known due to the high rise of gang related crime and violence and moved away less than 10 miles to a quieter community where my father purchased his first own home with his new woman who is now my step mom. The rest of my remaining schooling was at a catholic school with new classmates. Being the new kid in my class I felt like an outsider. I didn 't bother to get to know them much as I was still homesick from moving and leaving all my friends behind, but I did remain in friendly terms with them. Aside from the changes I could not get over, my grandfather’s health has turned for the worse after suffering from two heart attacks. During this time my father had a daughter with my stepmom and I felt as though I was being pushed away from him. My sister and I were never in good terms with my stepmother because she always found a way to separate my dad and us from spending time with each other. My father never noticed and these factors only added more to my stress until it spiraled down to depression. Eventually, my grandfather passed away due to his health conditions and this changed my life forever. I did not have the coping mechanisms to deal with the death of my grandfather. I grew distant from everyone and

I felt this overbearing weight on my shoulders. Being the first-born child and first generation planning to attend college I believed if I failed in my education then my future would be a struggle. The fear of not being successful is what drove me to always stay on top of my studies and the wishes of my late grandfather. I wanted to make something of myself for them to be proud of, and to let them know that the seeds they sown grown