I’ve faced a lot of challenges in my life, but the one that has affected me the most would be when my father was put in jail for a crime he didn’t commit by people he trusted.  When they did this out of spite, they didn’t realize the effect this would have on me and my brother or how they were taking away two years of time that we could've had with our father.    I woke up one morning at 4A.M. to my dad crying and bright lights surrounding the house; it was almost like a movie. I was so confused and all I could hear were the officers outside yelling.    “Get out here now!” echoed throughout the house.    My dad was rushing to get dressed and to leave the house, so that they wouldn’t come inside.   I got a call from my dad the next day. He said, “Hi my baby. I won’t be able to make it to your birthday or your dance recital. I’m so sorry I wish I could be there.” After hearing those words I cried. I just didn’t understand. I was confused and all I could think about at this moment was why was this happening to my family? What could my dad have done wrong? My dad was my guiding light, best friend, and the person I told everything to, but now we were limited to a phone call once a day and a visit once a week. I went from spending everyday with my dad to feeling like I was never going to see him again. I remember when the trial started a year later and I had lost hope;I seriously thought my dad wasn’t coming home again. I don’t remember much about the trial because my mom didn't want to tell me about it–considering I was still a child–but I remember how stressed out my mom was and how her mood was dependent on how court went that day, switching between joyful and troubled. I remember missing my mom’s smile because I rarely saw it anymore. She had so much going on and there was nothing I could really do to help. Two years after his arrest, my mom randomly called me out of school and, as I was walking outside of the school doors, there was my dad. He was standing outside of the school doors waiting for me; the first thing I did was run and jump into his arms. Tears the size of pears came running down my face like a river trying to escape a dam. My dad was finally home. I was the happiest little girl alive.    I have thought about this obstacle in my life a lot over the years and I can see how much it has changed me into who I am now. I notice how I am more careful of who I trust and who I tell things to, how I’m a lot stronger mentally, how I try to persevere through a lot more, and I notice I have learned to never lose hope or take things for granted. This obstacle  made me gain interest in psychology because my mental health deteriorated during this situation, and I’m still affected by it today. It made me want to help others and it inspired me to want to go into the psychology field. I would apply what I learned during this experience to how I worked with others everyday because this experience helped me learn a lot of important aspects of life, not only through myself, but through the actions of others as well.