From a young age I have had to become more mature than most kids my age. At the beginning of my kindergarten year my father was involved in a car accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down. For that whole year my younger sister and I lived with my aunt and uncle and had to move to a different school. I went through the first year of school without either of my parents since my mother stayed in Denver, Colorado with my dad as he recovered and fought to come back to his family. During this I felt the pressure to be strong for my sister and to make sure to be everything she needed while my parents were gone. I had to step up and learn how to take charge. From this experience I have learned how to channel my emotions into things that will help me succeed. I have also learned how to take charge of a situation and try to make the best out of it. I went to visit him once while he was in the hospital and the thing that has stuck in my mind since then is the positive impact that everyone there had towards the patients. I can't forget how much they encouraged them to gain strength and to push through all the pain to reach the goal of finally being able to go home. Since this experience I have dreamed of being that for someone else. For this reason I am choosing to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy and will attend Texas Tech University in the fall. I want to be able to push people to fight through the tough times to reach their goals and to help better not only their lives but the lives of the people around them. I have also grown to love being an impact on children's lives. From a young age. I have been a member and a volunteer at our local Boys and Girls Club and have gotten to see the impact a positive person can have on their lives. My trials have shaped me and made me grow up a little sooner than those around me but they have shown me that if you believe in yourself and don’t give up you can achieve anything you want in life. Watching my family go through something so difficult and being able to overcome it let’s me know I can and will achieve my future goals.