My greatest support in both my education goals and my entire life is my little sister, Lena. I am the fourth child in a family of ten kids, and we struggled to pay the bills and take care of so many small children. My parents got divorced when I was fifteen, and I saw my mother drowning in bills and debt. I wanted to do something about it rather than sit by and watch her fall apart, so I started working when I was sixteen, and I gave every dollar to my mother. I dropped out of school and took the CA high school proficiency exam in order to be able to work full time, and before I turned seventeen I was working forty-five hours a week. I was separated from my family from working so much, and I felt so alone. I wanted to go to college ever since I was a little kid, but my family needed me so I kept quiet about it. But my little sister Lena noticed my unhappiness, and she encouraged me every day to go to school and make my dreams come true. I started college when I was seventeen, all because of Lena. She gave me the permission I was looking for to take care of myself rather than others. I got my associate's degree in accountancy and worked from 2016 to the present in the field. But something was nagging me in the back of my mind. I didn't want to be an accountant, but my family pushed me to choose a "safe" job where I could make money and be secure. I realized two years ago that although money is important to sustain myself, it wasn't enough to make me happy. Lena talked to me every day about my dreams, and I began building a plan to go back to school, but I couldn't figure out how I truly wanted to spend my life. In 2019, I finally found what I was looking for. I read the news every day, and the headlines about climate change frustrated me. Just like when I was fifteen and feeling helpless in my home life, I felt powerless against a force like climate change. It was created by a whole world of people, and no one person could stand against it. But rather than give in to depression and anger, I channeled my efforts and emotions into solutions. I began researching ways that I could make a change. It started with eating less meat, continued with using fewer plastics, and even found its way into my life goals. I went back to school at Eckerd College this year, majoring in Environmental Studies because I want to use my life to help make the world a better place for future generations. The only person in the world that supported my change in career was Lena. She fought for me whenever anyone tried to tear me down and believed in me so that I could believe in myself. I wouldn't be half the person I am today without her unconditional love, because everyone needs someone in their corner, and Lena was willing to be that person. My goals are to work as a city planner or a lead on a sustainability team for a large firm. Lena is currently in their Airforce, and when she finishes her service I am going to support her so that she can find her path in life, just as she helped me.