My name is Joseph Anderson, and I am 18 years old. I live on Mackinac Island, Michigan, with my three younger siblings and my dad. I moved here two years ago and am completing my junior and senior years at Mackinac Island Public Schools. I plan to attend Michigan Technological University. I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2005. Since then, I’ve moved six times and attended three high schools. After living in Petoskey for about five years, my parents divorced in 2018. In 2020, my three younger siblings and I were unexpectedly placed full time with my father, who lived in a small, 400-square-foot cabin. After living in the cabin as a family of five for six months, we moved to Mackinaw City. My father has a limited income as he adapts to care for my younger siblings and get back to his career. After living in Mackinaw City for a couple of years, we had the opportunity to move to Mackinac Island. Here, I have made the best friends of my life, and I have grown in many ways. Some of my accomplishments while living on Mackinac Island include launching an online business, beginning an online internship for a financial news company, and starting a work-based learning program at the local water treatment plant. I also kept my seasonal job from Mackinaw City as a confectioner for Kilwins on the island. This coming summer will mark the fourth season of my working with Kilwins. For the next few years, I’ll attend Michigan Technological University. I want to ace my classes regardless of my background and the challenges I have faced. I want a career I’m both good at and enjoy. I want to find classes and professors that are “up my alley” and work well with my learning style. I also plan to share a dorm with one of my current classmates. Beyond the physical worldly things that we all strive for, I also want to be close with god and lead a fulfilling life that means more than just striving for material things. In the future, I see myself as content and fulfilled in both my financial and vocational endeavors. I plan to have children in the next 10 years and own property on Mackinac Island. I want to give my future children the best possible childhood in our ever-changing society and bless them with the household stability I wasn’t provided. I want to inspire the next generation to rise above misfortune.