I grew up as the youngest of two children in a single-parent household. I have watched for many years firsthand all of the sacrifices my mother has made to support me. The reason behind my mother's struggle was the result of my father being tragically murdered when I was eight years old, and it changed our lives dramatically. He was the primary provider for our family, and his sudden passing left us in a difficult financial and emotional situation. In the years that followed, my mother worked tirelessly at two jobs to ensure we had everything we needed. Despite her hard work, we faced another unexpected challenge when my aunt sued my mother for my father’s belongings and won. This legal battle added further stress and financial burdens to an already difficult time. Therefore, since my mother has tirelessly paid for my costs of living, schooling, and sports. Ultimately, I will be self-funding my college education. My life experiences, responsibilities, and now future responsibilities have shaped me into who I am. They have taught me the value of perseverance, the importance of education, and the strength needed to pursue these hardships regardless of any bad circumstances. With my education, I hope to build a strong, stable, and successful career that allows me to support not only my family but myself comfortably. I want to be able to give back to my mother for all she has done and create a life where her financial struggles are no longer a constant worry. Most importantly, I want to break my family's cycle of constant hardship and show myself and my future family that with determination and hard work, it is possible to create the life you want!

“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” This quote by Carl Gustav Jung greatly reflects Jack Terry’s life and journey. Terry’s story exemplifies hope, showing that some good can happen after a traumatic history, especially one as horrific as the Holocaust. The Holocaust is an inhuman persecution of ultimate darkness, having an undeniable amount of cruel circumstances. Given the horrors he endured, one can assume Terry most likely felt like there’d be no happiness in his life afterward. However, Jack Terry not only survived but flourished. He completed his education, became a geological engineer, and built a family, an accomplishment that many Holocaust survivors didn’t get the chance to do. This resilience Jack Terry shows is how I deeply connect with his story on a personal level. Like Terry, I faced a trauma, losing my father to gun violence at a young age. A hardship that was sudden, unexpected, and brutal. At first, this hardship seemed to have no happy ending. When my father was taken, it felt like my whole world had been turned upside down, as if it was destroyed. His case, never being resolved, left me carrying a weight for years. The pain of not knowing what happened to him left my brain coming up with millions of different ideas and questions about what could've happened. As a child, I struggled with my emotions after this, lashing out in anger because I didn’t know how else to cope. I felt lost and confused by all of my emotions at such a young age. Yet, as I grew older, I realized I needed to push forward, and not let this pain define who I am. Like Jack Terry, I learned to channel those negative emotions into positive energy. He could’ve let his suffering from his trauma take over his life, but instead, he chose to find his purpose and live. Just like I did. Finally, I carry my father’s memory with me but refuse to let his absence or pain control my life. Every day, I choose to move forward and pursue my dreams and goals. Like Terry, I turned all of the built-up pain and suffering into motivation. His story was a reminder that even after experiencing a tragedy, growth and change are always possible. I choose to be resilient, continuing to turn my pain into purpose, just as he did.