Dear David, I am currently a senior in high school at Palm Beach Central High School as you know. My family is completely Peruvian from both my paternal and maternal sides; therefore, I have learned and understood Peruvian culture, as well as Spanish and Quechua growing up. I am a first-generation college student in my family and am an overall first-generation American in my family too. I have lived in Florida almost my whole life and will pursue my BS in Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I am honestly excited with an ounce of anxiety about moving to Champaign for my education. Up until now, I have never studied in a different state so this experience would essentially be the equivalent of me stepping out of my bubble. However, I know this is needed for me to grow as both a professional and as an adult as I have overly depended on my family throughout the years for several responsibilities. I am expecting to struggle at UIUC due to this but know it is best for me long-term. With that being said, I currently am not in a relationship as we both know what our main priorities are set on. I also have a miniature group of friends, each of which are settling in Florida for their educations. So I will really be going to a place without knowing a single individual, which is strangely exciting. I plan on becoming a software engineer at a large company in five years time, with the hope that UIUC will be the engine that initiates my opportunities. In regards to my family situation, it is still under much turmoil as it has been for the last three years. My divorced parents' are still struggling to reach a compromise which makes it difficult for me to connect with my father in particular. His lack of presence, accountability, and responsibility towards my brother Daniel and I has only made me lose respect for him as a man. Hopefully, time will fix the wounds and present reasonable solutions for all entities present in the situation. The disconnection with my father makes it difficult for me to connect with my paternal family overall as they seem to only try to detract information from me to use my own words against myself and my mother. This makes me lose motivation to communicate with them ultimately; however, I am hoping to be much closer to them again through these next couple years. Stepping aside from more personal subjects, I have my fair share of hobbies in my routine. I have grown an attraction to fitness and the gym, going six days a week to build a physique that I can be proud and confident with. I go alone to my community gym to save time, but these are the times I honestly enjoy much of throughout the week. I aspire to continue my fitness journey for my own betterment. With all due respect, David Vera