At the tender age of 14, Kernifer Card, my mother, found herself on the verge of motherhood in the small, close-knit, and judgmental community of Cowley, Jamaica. Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, she was forced to drop out of high school, an act that marked the beginning of a series of harsh life challenges. The ridicule she endured on the streets, coupled with the abandonment from family and friends, compounded her struggles. My father’s mental and physical abuse pushed her further into isolation, leaving her to grapple with depression and an overwhelming sense of loss. Yet, despite the formidable challenges that life threw at her, my mother’s story is one of resilience, determination, and hope, and it continues to serve as the driving force behind my aspirations today. Born into this tumultuous situation, I was not immune to the effects of the stress my mother endured. Shortly after birth, I battled a severe case of gastroenteritis, coupled with other complications, which left my fragile body fighting for survival. Fortunately, after two long weeks, I recovered. For the first two to three years of my life, my mother and I shared a small but precious bond as she tried her best to provide for me, working at a local store and taking on babysitting jobs to make ends meet. Despite her immense love for me, the heavy burden of motherhood became too much for her to bear at such a young age. This led to the decision to pass me on to my grandmother, who was pivotal in my early development. My grandmother, a preschool teacher, became my caretaker and introduced me to learning at an incredibly early age: two to three years old. Despite the benefits of this arrangement, the physical and emotional distance from my mother left a lasting impact on me. However, as I grew older, I began to understand her immense sacrifices, not just for my well-being, but for her survival and growth. During the time I spent with my grandmother, my mother fought tirelessly to improve her life. She enrolled in a local nursing school, determined to acquire skills that would enable her to escape the cycle of poverty and hardship she had found herself in. Through hard work and perseverance, she secured a job as a doctor’s assistant, living paycheck to paycheck, but always striving to make a better life for the both of us. Her journey was not linear, and the ups and downs she faced were numerous, but she never lost sight of her dreams. Inspired by her journey, I have developed dreams of my own. My dream is to open a beauty salon and spa: a space where women, especially those who have lost their confidence, can feel good about themselves. I want to create a haven for women to regain their sense of self-worth and leave feeling ready to take on the world. Like my mother, I aspire to be an independent, strong-willed woman, driven by a desire to uplift others while building a successful career. In essence, my mother’s story has not only motivated me but has shaped the person I am today. Her resilience in the face of adversity has shown me the power of perseverance. As I continue to work towards my own goals, I carry her strength with me, knowing that, like her, I can overcome any challenge life throws my way. Together, we share a legacy of resilience, hard work, and the unwavering belief that no dream is too big if you are willing to fight for it.

I have a deeply personal issue that I have been hiding from the outside world. I picked at my skin in a moment of anxiousness. Thinking about it now, I feel a rush of shame. It has been happening for years. It all began at the age of 11 when I started to get acne. I was always encouraged by family members to pop the pimples to get rid of them. So I did it. I didn’t think much of it because they knew what was best for me. I didn’t realize at the time that my mother and some of my aunts picked their skin as well. It went from one pop to the other and then turned into a comfort activity. This led to an even worse situation that I struggle to control now: Skin picking. What is skin-picking? It is the action of scratching, digging, squeezing, or rubbing your skin. This action could be geared toward scabs, bumps, or even healthy skin. According to Cleveland Clinic’s website, it is a disorder called “Excoriation Disorder or Dermatillomania”. Sometimes it could be triggered by stress or anxiety. I didn’t know how else to channel the energy except through picking. One might feel a sense of relief or satisfaction while doing it, but the feeling you get after is horrible. I tried to ignore it, and I tried to hide it; yet, I could never mask how I felt deep down. Skin picking has massively impacted my mental health. About a year later, I moved from Jamaica to the United States. and I began to do it more often. It lowered my self-esteem. I felt “ugly” whenever I looked in the mirror and saw my scars. I was never allowed to wear makeup but I still tried covering it up now and then. My family made me feel even worse. Whenever they saw me they would always point out how bad it looked and recommend products. If only they realized the underlying problem; what was causing the scars. Furthermore, it had become my main way of comfort and it wasn’t healthy; I was constantly damaging my skin along with my confidence. Someone pointed out to me that it could be a form of self-harm. And it pushed me to stop. At some points I did, but I would always fall back into a state of mind that led to me picking again. This of course reduced all of the progress I made. Overall, my attempts to discontinue picking were unsuccessful and it got worse. To this day, I still struggle, but I do realize that the things that I have experienced in my past will continue to haunt me if I allow them. I will be a first-generation high school graduate in May of 2024. My goal is to become a first-generation college graduate, earning my degree in Business Management. While in college, I plan to join organizations that will give me experience, eventually, leading to an internship at a Fortune 500 Company. After college, I will work in the beauty industry developing businesses that cater to women like myself. Eventually, I would like to open my own business. One would be a food service that provides holistic food and the others would be a hair salon and spa. I chose to specialize in these areas because it would allow me to help women build their confidence and self-love. Healing their insecurities would help me to heal mine as well.

To begin, I am a very persistent and driven student. I am top of my class: 6/635. I moved from Jamaica when I was 12 year years old. My family never had money. We lived from paycheck to paycheck, so that forced me to understand the importance of saving at a young age. However, I did forget the importance when I got a job. I began working at Chick-fil-A during the summer of 2022. The main reason I did this was because I wanted to feel independent; I didn't want to annoy my parents with the little things I wanted. I work 12 hours/week which allows me to bring in about 200 dollars per check. I could have easily saved this money, but "What is the point of working if you can't enjoy what you earned, " I thought. I used this excuse whenever I saw something I didn't need but wanted. It was my money anyway, right? I would use little excuses like these to ignore my poor money management skills. Furthermore, the fact that I didn't have a savings account made it worse as well. I couldn't get one because I needed my physical social security paper; my parents had lost it sometime before. I just kept spending. The small amounts of money added up to a lot of money quickly. Even when I did realize, I still ended u spending too much money. Overall, I was financially unstable and struggled with saving. Soon,I had taken up too many responsibilities on my shoulders and I couldn't manage them. I don't live with my parents; I live with my uncle and his wife. They don't pay attention to whether or not I eat nor do they like to buy groceries. Whenever they did, they wouldn't ask me what I wanted or what I would normally eat. So a lot of times when the food that I eat often ran out, I would go and get them for myself. I could have easily called my father, but he already went through so much. I wouldn't want to interrupt his busy schedule. I started to buy my groceries and personal items weekly. Furthermore, I would also buy things for friends and family members without a limit. I knew this was unnecessary but I wanted to be nice. Overall, I started to pay for things that I wasn't responsible for. In summation, I used to spend money without limiting myself. This led to a struggle with saving and a lack of funds in my account. However, I did learn how to limit myself and consider every dollar that I spend. Through my business, I would like to help women build confidence from the inside and the outside. I did grow up with a lack of confidence; I had acne and I would pick my skin a lot, making it worse. Consequently, that quickly went away when I made a self-care routine. I would love to open a Hair Salon and Spa because of my past with beauty. I would love to help women feel comfortable in their skin and heal their insecurities. Along with a salon and spa, I would like to have a food service that provides holistic food. I chose to specialize in these sectors because it would allow me to help women build their confidence and self-love.

The dream version of myself is to be Happy and Financially Stable.