In my childhood, I lived with my father who dealt with substance abuse. From before I was born up until I was in 5th grade my dad took hard drugs. My two siblings and I were conceived when my dad dealt with substance abuse, meaning there was a higher chance we would follow the same path. When my dad went off to rehab, I was in 5th grade, promising myself I would never follow in his path. I did everything in my power to stay away from any substance I could abuse, even over-the-counter pain meds such as Ibuprofen or Advil. Having first-hand experience with substance abuse opened my eyes to how harsh the real world is, something most kids don't experience for a long time. With the knowledge and experience, I have, from going to Alcoholics Anonymous with my dad to hearing the stories my stepmom tells from her job at a rehab facility, I have the knowledge to make a positive impact on the world. I have written countless school essays and given many speeches about substance abuse. If I am given a platform to explain what substance abuse is, I have a better chance of talking someone out of it. Listening to the government these days, not much, if any, is said about substance abuse, or how to avoid it. To make a positive impact on the world, I must first find a way to grab people's attention, no matter how many. If I could talk to news outlets, explaining why it is important to educate others about Substance Use Disorder, odds are eventually someone would let an article or segment be released. Giving signs and symptoms, as well as other things that someone can do other than abuse substances would be very beneficial to today's society.

Community is not just a place, it is the people inside. Community is special and something that should make a person feel at home and safe. To me, community means somewhere I can be myself, surrounded by people who care about me. I give back to my community by volunteering and making kind gestures every chance I get. You never know if someone is having a bad day or just needs someone to be nice to them. the better you can be towards someone else the better the community will turn out. I am currently a college freshman at Palm Beach Atlantic University, majoring in Business Marketing and minoring in Psychology. My dream is to start my own business, meaning I will have time to do things other than work on a daily basis. Aside from school, I spend a good amount of time learning about business strategies, mainly from a man named Dave Sharpe. I tell myself that once I am financially stable, I would love to give back to my community financially. One of the main ideas I have is to give to the animal shelters, as well as adopt the animals in need. Another idea I have is to give to the food shelter and people in need because who knows how hard it is for them. I know what it is like to worry about how I am going to get my next meal. I know what it is like to potentially be homeless. That is why my goal for the future is to help anyone and everyone I can, whether that is financially or even just being a friend. Having someone to talk to could help dramatically, which is why if the people I surround myself with need something, I am open to helping. Giving back to the community in any way can lead to not only a better future for them but for me as well.

My legacy is something I think about often but not something I am 100 percent sure about. A legacy should be a good mark left, not anything bad. After thinking a lot, I want my legacy to be a business that I leave with my kids. Because of how much I have been researching and learning by myself, the more and more I would love to be successful for my family. Growing up, I was not born into a wealthy family and spend a decent amount of money I have earned on food and necessities. I would like for my kids to not have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from or if their water or electricity is going to be shut off. If I have the chance to hand a business down to my children, I hope that I will bring generational wealth to my family, leaving a legacy that will not only help my children, but even my grandchildren and beyond.

Thinking about the future is inevitable. Everyone thinks about the future constantly. It never seems to leave our minds. For me, the future entails living in a nice place, financially free, and happy. Peacefulness is something I have been heavily striving for. With the resources we are given these days, the ability to live a peaceful and happy life has never been easier. I would love to pursue a career in entrepreneurship and business. To achieve success I need to work hard, keep myself going with videos I have been watching to learn more about entrepreneurship, and stay strong in my mindset. I know what I would like to achieve out of life and what I need to do to achieve happiness, although happiness is a being, not where you live or how much money you have. It does not matter to me where I live or how I live, as long as I can help my family and be happy.

Motivation is hard to keep, no matter who you are or your age. What motivates me on a daily basis is my future. When I imagine my future, I imagine myself financially free, living without having to worry, but most importantly being happy. To achieve this goal, I need to keep myself motivated on a daily basis, whether that is to go to school and do well, go to work, or just to get through the day. Because we are given so many opportunities these days to achieve our goals, I spend a good amount of time motivating myself through learning new things in and out of the classroom. Although on days it is hard for me to stay motivated, the more I think about my future and how I want to live, the more motivation I get. Waking up in my college dorm knowing all of this hard work is going towards my future keeps me motivated.

Community is not just a place, it is the people inside. Community is special and something that should make a person feel at home and safe. To me, community means somewhere I can be myself, surrounded with people who care about me. I give back to my community by volunteering and making kind gestures every chance I get. You never know if someone is having a bad day or just needs someone to be nice to them. the better you can be towards someone else the better the community will turn out. I am currently a college freshman at Palm Beach Atlantic University, majoring in Business Marketing and minoring in Psychology. Aside from school, I spend a good amount of time learning about business strategies, mainly from a man named Dave Sharpe. I tell myself that once I am financially stable, I would love to give back to my community financially. One of the main ideas I have is to give to the animal shelters, as well as adopting the animals in need. Another idea I have is to give to the food shelter and people in need because who knows how hard it is for them. I know what it is like to worry about how I am going to get my next meal. I know what it is like to potentially be homeless. That is why my goal for the future is to help anyone and everyone I can, whether that is financially or even just being a friend. Having someone to talk to could help dramatically, which is why if the people I surround myself with need something, I am open to helping. Giving back to the community in any way I can will lead to not only a better future for them but for me as well.

An important life lesson I have learned is to not turn to drugs when things don't go as planned. For me, it was always hard to understand why my dad went down the route of drugs. He left for rehab when I was in 5th grade, meaning I had to step up and be a parent, alongside my mom, to my two younger siblings. Having to grow up instantly was hard, but taught me what I did and did not want out of life. I did not want a life consumed with drugs that not only hurts me but also hurts the people I love. For years, I was scared of going down the same path as my father. I argued with doctors when I was in pain, telling them I would rather be in pain than take medicine. I was so scared of hurting the people I love. It destroyed me to have to fulfill such large shoes at such a young age. I did everything I could to make my mom's life easier and keep my siblings happy. Moving forward, this lesson has taught me to not give up just because things get hard. I have bad days all the time, so does everyone. I will not let some bad days affect who I am as a person or ruin all the work I have done to get where I am today. Without going through all of the hard days, I would not be as independent as I am today. My mom is always there for me and I know that but seeing her struggle really affected me mentally. There were times she would ask to borrow money so that our water or electricity didn't shut off. I know she was never trying to involve me or make me worried. She truly needed help but my father could not step up and be the man she needed him to be. She was a stay-at-home mom for so long that it was hard for her to find a job. We did everything we could to keep going, although sometimes it meant she and I didn't eat. This experience has made me stronger because now I know who to not be in life. I am already working as much as I can to set myself up for a stable life, not having to rely on anyone else. I stay away from any and all things that I could become addicted to, knowing that what my father did does not and will not define who I am as a person.

One investing tip that I have taken to heart is that you must create assets, not liabilities. This means that you will put your money into things that will generate more money, not something like a house that just sits without increasing in price. In everything I do, I think about if what I am buying will help me in the long run, potentially making my money work for me so I don't have to. I got this investing tip from the book Rich Dad Poor Dad, which has many more investing tips that I have taken to heart as well. Because the assets I need to invest in include renting out properties and mutual index funds, it will set me up for a future of financial freedom, something everyone wants to achieve. I always think about life from the eyes of financial freedom, meaning I am not stuck down working a 9-5, overall increasing the enjoyment of life.

In my childhood, I lived with my father who dealt with substance abuse. From before I was born up until I was in 5th grade my dad took hard drugs. My two siblings and I were all conceived when my dad dealt with substance abuse, meaning there was a higher chance we would follow the same path. When my dad went off to rehab, I was in 5th grade, promising myself I would never follow in his path. I did everything in my power to stay away from any substance I could abuse, even over-the-counter pain meds such as Ibuprofen or Advil. Having first-hand experience with substance abuse opened my eyes to how harsh the real world is, something most kids don't experience for a long time. With the knowledge and experience I have, from going to Alcoholics Anonymous with my dad to hearing the stories my stepmom tells from her job at a rehab facility, I have the knowledge to make a positive impact on the world. I have written countless school essays and given many speeches about substance abuse. If I am given a platform to explain what substance abuse is, I have a better chance of talking someone out of it. Listening to the government these days, not much, if any, is said about substance abuse, or how to avoid it. To make a positive impact on the world, I must first find a way to grab people's attention, no matter how many. If I could talk to news outlets, explaining why it is important to educate others about Substance Use Disorder, odds are eventually someone would let an article or segment be released. Giving signs and symptoms, as well as other things that someone can do other than abuse substances would be very beneficial to today's society. Because I have gone to Alcoholics Anonymous more times than I can count, I have knowledge about how to educate others and how to recover. As a volunteer at church, I was able to point one man in the direction of recovery, giving him numbers and addresses of rehab facilities, places that hold AA meetings, and even church groups for recovering addicts. I get to listen to the stories and hardships others went through during their recovery process and realizing that everyone is different is a great way to educate others. If I was told that someone cannot recover from one method, I have the knowledge about other actions that can be taken on the road to recovery.

The first thing that comes to mind when asked about my greatest achievement is "well, what have I done that has benefited my family the most?" In all honesty, it took some time for me to think of an answer. My greatest achievement must be getting through childhood and raising my two younger siblings alongside my single mom. My mom and dad split up when I was in fifth grade. My dad went down a bad path in life, deciding to do drugs, and leaving my family to go to rehab. At that time, I was a little younger than 12 years old, about to go into my crazy middle school years. My mom had to find a job rather quickly, as my dad was the financial support in my family. She got a job as a teacher, working long hours to support her three kids. It became my responsibility to leave school every day to take care of my siblings, including feeding them dinner, playing outside with them, and helping with their homework. I became their second parent rather instantly. I took my siblings to their open houses in elementary school, meeting the teachers for my mom so she could be at her own. I went with them to their sports games, cheered them on, and did everything I could to keep them safe and happy. Although my mom did everything she could to support us financially, it was never enough to keep the electric or water on, as well as food on the table. There were multiple times my mom would ask me to borrow money, usually a couple hundred dollars, to keep the lights or water on. If I let her borrow money for her bills, she could use her money to buy us food. There were times that we would wake up in the morning for school and she would tell us to grab whatever we could find in the pantry to make. Usually, it came down to finding a can of refried beans, tortillas, and cheese to make quesadillas. I would make them for my siblings and I, finding a way to make everything last at least 2 days. Even though it was not ideal to be hoping for food in my house at times, it showed me how to be resourceful, even if it meant spending my own money to help support my siblings. Going through an experience like that taught me not only how to be independent at a young age but also how to work together to support my family. My mom needed help and I was there to step in. To this day, I am still told often that my mom would not have been able to raise my siblings without me. I learned how to be resourceful, figuring out which store to go to that has the cheapest food I am looking for. In the future, I hope to achieve financial freedom, as well as develop a peace of mind in everything I do. When I have kids, I would like for them to not have to worry about a lack of food, electric, or water. Having the ability to make a change in my family would allow them to live a less stressful life. I moved around so much as a kid and would love to give my siblings the chance to stay in one place. All in all, my greatest achievement that I raised my siblings alongside my mom made me a better and more independent person.