Are you someone who lives paycheck to paycheck, or are you fortunate enough to have financial freedom? I have been on my own financially since 2018, therefore the term "financial freedom" wasn't even in my vocabulary. Having financial freedom would mean that for once, I wouldn't have to carry so much anxiety and stress around making my bills and surviving paycheck to paycheck. I could actually control my money versus letting my money dictate what I can and can’t do, and where I can and can't go. I would not have to make the impossible decision of deciding whether to pay my DTE bill or get groceries that week, for example, because usually, it was a choice between one necessity or the other. I would also finally be able to get my niece and cousins presents for the birthdays and Christmas if I wasn't so worried about putting food on the table, keeping my water running, and keeping the lights on. Being financially free would mean I could take more time for myself and do more self-care as well. I wouldn't have had to live in my car for a month in my senior year of high school while I was trying to get on my feet. I could balance my mental health much better than I am able to now, and I would also be able to give more energy to my relationships and family. I would be able to stop saying no to family/friend events because I would have money to contribute and/or participate in those events with them. To achieve this lifestyle of financial freedom, I am actively pursuing scholarships and grants to help pay for my education. I also am in the process of finishing my BSW (Bachelors in Social Work) at Eastern Michigan University, and after that, I plan on going either to ASU or Ball State for my Master's degree in ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) to become a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst). I decided to do this because I have worked in the field of ABA for the last 2 years now as a behavior technician, and can see the growing need for BCBA's, which makes financial freedom sound more promising. I am hopeful that once I get into my career as a BCBA if I can graduate college with as little student debt as possible, I will be able to reach my goal of financial freedom much faster and easier compared to if I did not have my education and help with affording school.

Losing my mom was one of the hardest things I have gone through in my life. It was also a major stress reliver though and is a huge part of what motivated me to stay in school. Growing up, no matter how well I did in school or how proud I was of an assignment, my mother was never proud of it. She always told me I could do better or I "needed" to do better, which confused me because I was already getting almost all A's. She also would say things like I would never graduate college and it was only because of her that I had as good of grades as I did. Without her now, I don't have that constant pressure of not being good enough. I don't doubt my work as much, but I have also noticed I fight harder for my grades and strive harder to learn everything I can. I do this because even though she is gone, I still have this feeling as if I have to prove her wrong; I have to graduate college at least with my BSW. Another way that losing her made me strive harder to achieve my educational and career goals would be that I really started to evaluate who she was as a person after she was gone. She owned a daycare while I was growing up, and I got to see how she raised and treated the kids there. I thought nothing of it at the time, but with her not being around, I can actually sit back and conclude that I don't want to treat people they way she did. It made me focus on how much hurt she had caused me while she was in my life, and made me never want to make others feel that way. I realized what matters most isn't money or material things, which is what mattered most to her over relationships and family. I realized that the life style she raised me to lead was not one I was proud of living, and decided it was time to make my own choices for once. This has been the best decision I have ever made for myself, even though it was very tough to get to that point. Thank you for reading my entry:)