"The Housing Authority of Monroe County" was seen everywhere for the first 16 years of my life. To my parents, it was simply known as "Housing," a term I didn't fully comprehend until I was about 8 years old. I was taught to avoid touching anything in stores and to be grateful for what I had, but I didn't quite understand why until middle school. As my parents' financial struggles became more transparent, I slowly came to understand that Housing for low-income families - families like mine. I finally understood why there were no presents under the tree during Christmas or why my siblings and I couldn't have the same clothes as our friends. People thought that having five siblings was cool, but they didn't realize that growing up in a low-income household with eight people was far from it. When I started high school, I became very reserved and grew accustomed to being alone. It was the first time I had my own room, and I loved it. Looking back, I wish I had appreciated it more. Unfortunately, at the beginning of my junior year, we were forced out of our home. Thankfully, we were able to move in with my aunt and cousin. While I didn't enjoy living with my aunt, it was the first time I felt like I was living in a true home - a home that looked like a house. A home that I wouldn’t think twice about revealing to my school friends. A home that wasn’t Housing. Education hasn’t been my family’s forté. My mom had a short high school experience and my dad finished high school so my siblings perceived it as hypocritical for my parents to enforce college on us. I didn’t see it that way. I saw college as an opportunity. Just passing wasn’t enough for me. With that mentality, I will be the first person in my family to go and finish college. Right now, I’m a high school senior and it has been rough but that doesn’t stop my dreams. In the future, I wish to further my journey in college. Being able to put myself in a better environment while working toward a possible solution has been my primary goal. Being so close to it, I think I should be able to look beyond it. I hope to become a detective or a business owner. Doing something I am passionate about while making money would be life-changing. As for my family, I hope to serve as motivation for my siblings to achieve the same one day and a resource for my parents to use in their elder years. I never had a dream college because we didn’t talk about it much at home. From my own experiences though, I have admired various universities. The University of Southern California, for example, has been a huge “what if”. I was accepted but with no financial stability, I can only have aspirations. The opportunities and resources available would be incredible. College is not the goal but it is a step in the process. With that being said, I am happy no matter where I end up. As long as it's a home and not Housing.