It takes effort to be kind. It is the same effort needed to pursue dreams of education; it is an effort that comes from deep within your heart. I have known from a young age that I wanted to pursue higher education and satisfy my love for knowledge. However, I also knew that reaching my goals would require my effort and my effort only, both academically and financially. My goal has always been to reach the top: be the top of the class, take the hardest classes, work as hard as I possibly can. This has taken shape as a mixture of AP, IB, dual enrollment classes, long shifts, late nights after school, and early mornings attending club meetings. Success can not come without grit. This attitude can largely be accredited to the strict and difficult classes I have had the privilege of taking throughout my academic career. These difficult classes have taught me that I must not only work hard, but also maintain the relationships that aid me in being a kind and successful person. This may raise the question of, why must you be kind to be successful? Through kindness I have been able to foster connections that will last and have greatly helped me in achieving my goals. Without kindness success is impossible due to the importance of community, each and every person plays a role in one’s success in not only education, but also as a person. And as much as I credit myself for my success, there have been many people that have greatly aided in my success. Friends, family, and teachers that have lent me a hand and been kind to me in return, a helping hand that may have never come without a loop of kindness that I have been able to experience throughout my life. The lack of financial stability in my life has also played an instrumental role in my efforts towards success. My family’s financial situation has played a major part in my educational career and added an extra layer of stress and raised questions surrounding my ability to successfully pursue higher education. I have to work out of necessity; not only to pay for my own essentials and college costs, but also to save my parents from debt and my family from going hungry. It is easy to be bitter about the financial issues that have played into my life, giving me less time for school, friends, general free time, and a stress I don’t see my peers experiencing. However, I have been able to transform a potential source of bitterness into something positive. Although my financial situation has never been great, it has made me a more hardworking, positive, and understanding person. It has provided me with perspective and perseverance and shown me that an inadequate financial situation does not necessarily result in a list of can nots, but rather a plethora of opportunities. I plan to major in political science at the University of South Carolina Honors College and pursue a career in law. I know I am prepared to pursue my educational and career goals due to the rigorous classes I have had the privilege of taking and the kindness I have experienced.