The only reason why my parents decided to have children was to fuel their egos, not because they were ready to have kids. I was never seen as an individual; I served as a carbon copy of my progenitors. They enforced the idea of a perfect child rather than allow me to self-actualize. My childhood came to a halt due to my parents’ divorce. I became a mediator, therapist, taxi driver, and caregiver by the time sophomore year started. I had tunnel vision; it felt as if I was never going to escape familial responsibilities. I endured multiple CPS interviews on a yearly basis due to a neglectful mother. Within my high school career, I have been involved in three CPS cases while the past four cases still haunt me to this day. The questions “Do you have food? Do you have a shelter? Do you have running water?” have been ingrained in my head. Although we did have those things, my siblings and I were still emotionally abused daily. Every Thursday we dread having to stay at a household where screaming, swearing, and the occasional item thrown at us is not unusual. Our mom’s house was our safe haven; however, she frequently enters depressive episodes to the point where she cannot leave her bed. I wake up at 5 am every weekday to drop off my brother at football because neither of my parents want to help. I make sure my brothers have their haircuts, homework done, and are fed. Even though we lived in a single parent household,I am a stand-in parent all while completing school work and holding my position as assistant manager at my job. Memorial Early College High School acts as both a safe haven and a challenge for me. The rigorous classes ensure that I will graduate with an associate’s degree and a high school diploma. I have taken 60 hours of dual-credit classes plus two AP classes all while being president of NHS and a teacher aid. Although stressful, I enjoy the challenge of maintaining leadership and completing assignments. These assignments also allow me to escape the stress of my homelife by focusing on exceeding expectations Despite all the demands from school, I overcame every obstacle and managed to maintain my 4.0 GPA and 1st quartile rank. These struggles have prepared me to handle multiple classes in college as well as maintain my own life. Sleep deprivation, emotional exhaustion, and extreme anxiety were the result of the trauma I endured. To this day, I am in a constant state of fight or flight; having a sense of peace in my life is foreign. Allowing myself to heal from the neglect my mother allowed my independence to flourish. Seeing progress in my mental health is my catalyst for leaving my past behind and not repeating the same mistakes my parents made. Every child deserves to have a parent, but not every parent deserves a child. A child should never be forced to become a parent to their siblings due to negligence. I have learned self-sufficiency, persistence, and leadership skills from my parents' divorce. After years of neglect, I am finally living alone and attending UTSA as a Neuroscience major. I continue to set the bar high with my educational performance. The independence I have experienced as a university student has allowed me to leverage my talents to pursue my dreams. Living in a single parent household has molded me into the person I am as I continue to utilize the positive skills I learned in order to survive.