Arriving home after a long day of school, and finding out the electricity is out, is a traumatic event I do not wish for others. I am a very private person who barely speaks out, I come from a low-income family. I have immigrant parents, who are originally from Mexico. I had seen my mother fighting to stay in this country five years ago but failed. My father had left my family my freshmen year, and created another of his own; he has not helped me or my sister financially since then. During my junior year, I went to school, prepared food for myself, did homework, and on some days, worked. My house is in poor condition; there is no heating, so heating fans would be placed in all rooms at all times, posing a major fire hazard. There are cracks in the walls and ceiling. The roof is barely attached to my house, along with the broken windows. I did not tell anyone about my situation because I had felt embarrassed being homeless. I had not realized it before, but this situation had immensely impacted me. I had lost around 20 pounds in a couple of months, I went from being 100 lbs to 82 lbs. Some days, I stressed out to the point where I had no appetite. I had gone through many sleepless nights, stressing if the electricity would be out or if I had enough food for the week. I am not the greatest cook, so the amount of food I could cook was limited. Before being homeless, I lived in a very toxic household. There would be constant yelling and harsh words being said. This was mentally draining and I used school to escape this. I still manage to maintain a 3.85 GPA, 70+ volunteering hours, being involved in the National Honor Society, on the Honor Roll, and being in the top 10% of my class. I enjoy going to school because my grades are the only things I need to worry about. I motivate myself to keep pushing through. My home is what encourages me to do well in life so that I do not continue living like this in the future. I will be a first-generation college student to obtain my bachelor’s degree. I hope to be an intern to gain experience and work during the summer to earn cash. I would love to go to college to be an accountant, it is financially stable and I find pleasure in doing math. I am currently taking classes in this field, and I find it somewhat enjoyable. I plan to use my Accounting degree to help others and those who have helped me along my journey. I would educate my family and close friends on financial stability. I hope to find kids like me and help them along their journey.