22 March 2016 – Brussels Zaventem Airport Terrorist Attack. I, along with my three siblings, my mother, and my father who had just returned from his fifth combat tour in Afghanistan, were at the Brussels Zaventem Airport when a three-man ISIS suicide team attacked the airport killing 35 people and injuring hundreds of civilians. The first of two bombs detonated less than two feet from my family and me. In that attack, my mother Gail Martinez was lost instantly and I along with my siblings and father suffered life-altering physical/emotional injuries that we continue to suffer from to this day. From the tragic loss of my mother to enduring unimaginable pain from the shrapnel, blast wounds, third-degree burns, and subsequent medical procedures to help myself and my family heal, I had to become the very definition of resiliency and strength for my family in my mother’s place. As the only one able to walk, I watched over and cared for my family while they were in a coma and/or incapacitated. I would sit by their side and talk to them, hoping and praying that they could hear me. I would call on nurses and doctors when I heard them wail in pain or need medical attention. I did everything I could to soothe their wounds and be the pillar of strength they needed in their recovery. Yet, despite that horrific event, I have not only persevered through the tough years of physical and emotional rehabilitation but also achieved well beyond any expectations for a survivor of a terrorist attack. In the eight years since that fateful day, I have succeeded academically; currently in the top 2% of my class of 850+, as well as excelled in extracurricular activities: I have become a highly decorated student leader in Junior AFROTC in only my first two years, and finally, a drummer and a lead vocalist for the performance band of the nationally recognized School of Rock. Most recently, I was selected as the 2024 Military Child of the Year for the Air Force for all I’ve done despite losing my mom 8 years ago. I continue to bear both the physical and mental scars of that tragic day but rather than allow it to crush me, I use the pain to fight on and make my mother proud as she would have wanted me to do. I also took on the role of caregiver to my 100 percent permanently disabled father – a combat-wounded veteran and Purple Heart recipient who suffers from severe PTSD and depression as well as a litany of physical/mental effects of the injuries suffered in the attack at the Belgium airport. With my two older siblings now grown and out of the house, I have assumed the responsibility of caring for my father and younger sister. As I realize how easy it is to lose someone dear to me, especially my family, I want to spend every moment making them proud and achieving dreams worthy of my mother's sacrifice.