The corded telephone rang, but it did not make much sound amidst the busy Chinese restaurant. The fragrant smell of fried rice filled the air, steam rising like the exhalation of warm breaths in winter. I trudged to the front desk playing with my fingers as I prepared myself for yet another day of business… Growing up, many people did not know that I spent a huge chunk of my life in a Chinese restaurant. After a decade of helping my parents there, I felt as if I was living inside a bubble. “Living inside a bubble” is what I believe many first-generation students feel. Often constrained by their parents’ status and occupation that have been impacted by their education, and lastly, constrained by their own familial expectations. I surely felt that way in my family as the oldest: the first to experience the pressure of being successful in my studies, the first to lead an example. Being a first-generation student is not short of obstacles to overcome, but what this role means to me is living my life through my own expectations, not those placed on me by my family or anyone else. My expectations for my future will depend on me and how I choose to utilize my resources to reach my aspirations despite the obstacles. Being the first can be daunting, but what helped me pave a path for myself toward higher education is my self-awareness in appreciating what I have. In my extracurriculars, I take leadership in my school as the president of the National Honor Society and editor-in-chief of the Yearbook Club. Outside of school, I co-founded an environmental awareness group where I organized park cleanups and initiated a youth project to teach elementary students (many of who are also first-generation low-income), about the environment through educational activities. I have enhanced my research and collaboration skills as a scholar for the selective New Jersey Governor's School of Engineering & Technology program. In this program, I got to publish and present a collaborative research paper and participate in courses my school doesn’t offer, like robotics. Since then, I have shown great interest in computer science by learning programming languages and building applications from scratch. I hope to integrate this passion into my college studies. These activities have shaped me into a leader, a team player, and an individual passionate about giving back to my community. My extracurriculars are not heavily STEM-focused, but what I have achieved in each has provided me with the necessary skills to pursue a STEM degree. In the future, I want to help other first-generation students like me discover their potential in technology, in which the growing world of computer science can potentially spark inspiration. A first-generation student is one of my many roles, but a role that is the foundation of my educational ambitions. I have realized that my diligence and perseverance stemmed from my parents. Their occupation continues to contribute in shaping me into the person that I am today; the very Chinese restaurant I was embarrassed to help out at is a place I now appreciate. My educational journey started in the restaurant’s dining room, where I practiced my ABCs, and understood y = mx + b. My parents worked day and night, but I had never heard them complain about their educational status. They didn’t let that define them, and so I broke out of the bubble I was living in and embraced the experiences I’ve accumulated as a first-generation student to define myself.