People come from all backgrounds. Some grow up wealthy, others middle class, and others poor. In big houses and others small. There are some who grew up in stable homes and others in unstable homes. I believe people’s past may have made them who they are today, but it does not define who they are today .

I grew up in a rough area, moved around a lot, and have faced many horrors of life’s reality. At 7 years old, my family had lost our home,  and , we constantly moved back and forth between my grandparent’s homes’, until, my mother passed away when I was nine. We had just moved back to Orange City, and I was just starting at my third Elementary school, that year. I was only in third grade. I remember my entire family in pieces, everyone worrying about how this was going to affect me. My guidance counselor at school met with me everyday; my family trying to put me in counseling. All I wanted to do was find a way to help my family’s pain go away. They were so worried about me, while I was just worried about them. I remember sleepless nights, my cousins trying to comfort me, and everyone telling me that everything was going to be okay.

I never understood that, “everything is going to be okay”. From my point of view everything was getting progressively worse with time. My dad moved out when I was ten or eleven and I was too upset with him to speak or see him after that. Then, he passed away when I was fourteen. Then, my cat passed away a few months later. That cat was given to me by my mother when we found him at a local gas station. He was my best friend; he would walk me to the bus stop or to the curb when I would take out the trash. Then by October, my aunt was trying to gain custody of me. By the end of the first week, I was forced to move from Florida to Georgia. I wasn’t allowed to bring my dog, because my aunt was afraid of Pit-Bulls. I was no longer allowed to talk to my dad’s side of the family; who I lived with at the time, because they were considered a danger to my aunt’s family. My dad’s side of the family and my mom’s side of the family never got along and I just so happened to be the common denominator for them to fight over, my entire life.

Moving to Georgia was an extreme culture shock. I moved from a poor area in Florida to the wealthiest city in Georgia. I was a very stressed teenage girl who was just starting to find herself, and suddenly I was forced to do it all over again. I was already a shy closed off person, and with all that I began to shut down. I refused to leave my room, I only came downstairs for dinner and to go to school. I didn’t talk to anyone at school, I was just waiting for my grandmother to fight for me and come get me. But, that day never came. Throughout High School I didn’t have computer or internet access. Therefore, school then became really hard for me. Growing up I only ever went to  a C-level school and then to an A-level school in a day. I had to work three times as hard as my fellow classmates just to keep up.

Compared to my fellow classmates, I didn’t think I could get into college. I mean my parents didn’t even graduate High School let alone attend college. In-fact no one on my dad’s side of the family made it to High School graduation. My whole life, I thought; Why me? Why is one bad thing happening right after another? I have finally come to peace with all that I have gone through. I have realized that it helped get me here today. Without my struggles, I would never have worked-hard to get where I am today. All the loss, regret, and loneliness I went through, helped me find myself. I have realized that I am a hard-worker, loyal, caring, and me. No one can tell me who I am or how I should be. Growing up, all I heard was that I am most likely going to be a screw-up. I have surpassed any expectations anyone has ever had for me. I didn’t just make it to college, I made it into Penn State. I am still working-hard to pay my tuition out-of-pocket; by working multiple jobs and maintaining scholarships. I am now on the path to a career in Federal Law Enforcement, which no one expected, not even me. But, I cannot wait to protect and serve my fellow citizens of the United States of America. I have earned everything that I have achieved, and I am excited for the future.

Your past may have made you who you are today, but it does not define who you are today. You are the only determining factor in what you can achieve. My past destined me to be a screw-up, but I made my own path based off of it.