A year before I entered kindergarten, my father was incarcerated for drug related crimes. Prior to this, we had already been living well below the poverty line. Financial instability hit my mother in ways beyond repair, and she was forced to become both a mother and a father to 5 children. There has not been a time from age 14 that I have not held at least a part time position in order to financially support myself. As someone who came from a single-parent household, I found myself having to provide for my basic needs, such as food and clothing. Some consider this neglect, but in my case, there was nothing more my mother could do on her own with 5 children. Because of this, I always worked. Along with the financial difficulties, I struggled severely with mental health. I missed the man who would take me to bed every night and played dolls with me. It grew worse when my peers found out about my father's imprisonment and began asking questions constantly. I separated myself from my peers until the end of high school. In high school, it was extremely difficult for me to keep my attendance up. In my junior and senior year, my attendance dropped below 50% due to my work schedule and being generally exhausted. However, I had the most amazing role model of a mother, who constantly reminded me that one day all of my work would pay off. She served as my motivation during my hardest times, and I was able to keep my GPA up. Upon graduation, I knew I needed to find the cheapest and most flexible option in my pursuit of further education. I decided to attend my local community college, which allowed me to take both night and online classes. It was an incredible blessing to be able to receive a free education (because of financial aid) for a year. My devotion to my family and dedication to advocacy continue to grow to this day. Because of my background, I've developed an extreme passion for servicing the public and promoting justice, especially in marginalized communities. Living in poverty, I saw how financial instability can create cycles of disadvantage and hinder individuals from accessing the same opportunities as others. These experiences have led me to my current position as a preschool teacher assistant. I have now decided to transfer to the University at Albany for the fall 2024 semester in order to receive a bachelor's in public policy and financial market regulation. I hope that this degree will allow me to understand legislation and finance to be able to influence the regulations that support marginalized communities. I will not allow my experiences growing up to negatively affect my progress towards my goals. If anything, they will bring me even closer to success. I am eager to take on all of the obstacles that come my way, regardless of how painful or difficult they are. My determination is unmatched and I confident that nothing will prevent me from achieving my dreams. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my story.