I immigrated from the Philippines when I was 8 years old. When I arrived in America I didn't know how to speak English, so it took a few months for me to get settled into my classes and classmates. Now, this year marks my 10th year of living in America as a lawful permanent resident. How I immigrated to America because my dad married a woman who was a US citizen so that he could bring his two children here. He had hoped to make up for the years he wasn't there for us and to give my sister and me a brighter future. As a student, I've always done my work at school. I listened to my teachers, I did my homework on time, and I studied for the tests. I never slacked off. By the time I got to high school, I still did the same, however, I struggled a bit more when it came to academics. For instance, I didn't even know what the SAT was until we took it. I didn't know the purpose of taking AP classes. And all of this is because no one in my family knew what it was. Coming from an immigrant family, it was so hard trying to keep up with my peers who were so well-versed in how applications for colleges worked. What types of extracurriculars did we need to join or at least what kind of things do we have to dedicate our time to stand out when it comes to college applications? looking back, I regretted wasting half of my high school career by not strengthening my appeals. And so, I promised myself that when college started, I needed to work harder because I wanted to prove myself wrong. But most importantly, I want to prove to my family who isn't supporting me with my dreams because of our financial situation. In my family, the only mindset was to earn as much money as we could because money can get us anywhere. It seemed like there was no time for our dreams to come true because money was what we needed to chase after. I didn't like that. I wanted to become more than just getting a job and getting paid. I wanted to graduate college and pursue my dreams of being a part of the dentistry field. My family experienced more financial burden after my dad's recent divorce. His ex-wife was the sole breadwinner and my father was not. By then, I had to work twice as much to help out my dad save money for an apartment we could live in. Currently, I am working as a pharmacy technician, however, it's not enough to satisfy the costs of bills, everyday expenses, and my college tuition. This year, 2024, was the year I had to grow up and become an adult as fast as I could. I know that being 18 years old, in other peoples' ice means adulthood, but no. I learned that to become an adult I need a stable lifestyle and my degree to pursue my dreams. I learned that I can't afford to build an ego unless I have paved my way to success. truthfully, I hate asking for help. It makes me feel vulnerable and weak. But it's the only option I have. Most of the time, I find myself frustrated about how poor my family is. I get jealous of my peers who get to travel and be seen to live such a normal and adventuring lifestyle. But then, I constantly remind myself that I am fortunate somehow. I think that I am mature unlike most people my age. and that even in my case, I could still think positively of what I could do to help my situation.