Living under an Asian household, I was taught to be independent at an early age. I understood the sacrifices that my parents made for me to live in America, and I didn't want to be a burden to them. When I struggled in school, I once asked my dad for help, and he told me to figure it out myself because he didn't know how to solve it either. That moment reinforced my decision to avoid asking for help out of fear of inconveniencing others and getting rejected. I would spend hours staring at my assignments, trying to come up with many different ways without asking for help, and by the end of the night, I was able to figure it out. This became a repeated routine for me where I would try to handle everything by myself throughout middle school, but by the time high school started, some assignments left me feeling frustrated and lost. I realized that I had to reach out to someone, or else I would fall behind. So I started to reach out to my classmates for help on the assignments. I expected to be ignored or rejected, but instead, they helped me out, and through those conversations, it led me to have friendships. In that moment, it taught me that it's okay to reach out even with the possibility of being rejected. Over time, it led me to be more comfortable asking the teachers for help. Although there was still the thought of being a burden to them by asking questions. After I graduated from high school, I was relieved that I had summer break. I thought that I would be able to relax and chill for the time being. That changed one night when I overheard my parents talking about money. My mom told my dad that she didn't have the money to give to him because she needed to save up the money for my college tuition, and that he should stop spending money. I felt a wave of guilt hit me when I heard that we were struggling financially. I assumed that everything was going well because my mom reassured me that money was nothing to worry about when I was about to go to college. After that moment, I realized that money is the biggest problem with pursuing my education. It drove me to help my parents out with money. I started selling items from my home that we no longer use to earn some money. It later became an online business for me, and I began making profits. I hoped that the earnings would help cover the cost of my college tuition, but unfortunately, I discovered that my FAFSA didn't cover the full cost, and I was ineligible for the Texas grant due to my university's processing my social security late. I was left with a significant amount of tuition debt, which was deeply frustrating. However, to continue my education and eventually support my parents in the long run. I had to continue the online business, and later plan to get a job to help even more. These adversities have taught me to face the challenges head-on and recognize that with those challenges come opportunities for me to grow. They've also taught me to gather the courage to ask for help and to never face things alone. I am determined to pursue my education for my dreams and use these lessons of resilience and courage to overcome any future challenges, and to give back to my parents for the sacrifices that they made for me.