Cancer. I knew the definition of cancer at age 14. It started May 6th, 2020, the day my dad was diagnosed. I remember feeling like my life was falling apart. Covid-19 had just struck the US, we were put into lock down and now my dad had cancer? I thought “this isn’t real; it’s all just a nightmare; you’ll wake up soon.” “Why did this happen to me?” Out of 73.1 million children, why was I part of the statistic of 3 million kids living with a parent who has cancer? This has shaped me. After a few months of my dad being in and out of the hospital, it finally set in that this was real. I had to take care of my siblings daily, while my mom helped my dad. I had to take care of myself. For the first couple months, I would sleep with my dad on the couch; every time he needed help in the middle of the night, I would help him. I was his right hand; he had to rely on me because he couldn't do it himself. Some nights I would lie there next to my dad, silently crying, so he couldn’t see or hear my pain. I couldn’t even look at my dad without seeing cancer taking over him. It took a toll on me; I became severely depressed. My escape from depression has always been to stay busy. I joined clubs, sports, worked hard on my academics, did service, and hung out with my friends. This all stopped when Covid-19 hit, and we went into a lock down. I wasn’t able to do these depression correcting activities. I had to see my dad everyday, struggling to even survive. I remember when he lost his hair to chemo and radiation. He looked sickly. He had never looked like this. The strong man I had always looked up to was now weak and unable to do things for himself. Seeing him like this broke me. I’ve always been the type to work at making my parents proud. I would get validation from them for being a “good kid.” When my dad got cancer, all I wanted to do was to make him proud. I transferred schools my sophomore year. When I got to Carroll, I found my happy place. I made new friends, joined new sports, took harder classes, and did more service. Through this I made my parents very proud. I was happy. This would keep up until the end of my Junior year. My dad lost his battle to cancer May 25, 2023. I remember getting the text from my mom saying that I needed to rush to Hospice. It was my final day of school, first day of summer. Worst timing ever. I held his hand as I watched him take his last breath. I was so upset in the moment, but I knew he’d be at peace. Oddly, my life changed in a positive way. Business. My life long dream job. When I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always told people I wanted to be in business. I figured out I wanted to do accounting because my older brother is an accountant and my mom is an accountant. I also really enjoy math so doing accounting is perfect for me.