Growing up in a poverty environment can make you or break you. Coming from an environment that has more poverty than people who are financially stable is very sad. However, I’m using it to motivate me. I’ve been through more downs than ups living on my reservation. I lost my only friend to this place. I haven’t made any true friends since and quite frankly haven’t kept my old ones. My siblings around me have also gone through their own tragic experiences and seeing how it effects them will always effect me too. It was a hard time growing up at home. My dad, brother, sister and I. It wasn’t always like that though. The early days were good. When my step-mom and dad happily in love, we were all fine. Until we weren’t. My brother and I didn’t have our biological mom much around to raise us. She was always in and out. However, I didn’t let that stop me from learning the woman duties around the house. My step-mom who had lived with us for some time before moving out had a big influence with that. This place has broke me in ways I cannot describe. I’ve seen almost every family on this reservation struggle through traumatic events. My family itself has been through traumatic events. I plan to go to school for business and learn and much as I can. To grow my income so strong that I can afford to build places on my reservation that could set people financially free. To make them happy. My home made achieving my goals a little more challenging than maybe most others, but my home has turned me into a strong and determined woman at a young age. That will make me commit to sticking whatever I put my mind to. Struggles and experiences I have been through have made me see the world differently. The way I grew up and was raised has made me who I am today. My dad tells me I was raised differently from everyone around here. I’m still understanding what he means as I grow. This place that I grew up in, my home, makes me want to be the most successful person I can possibly be. I want to achieve the American Dream and not just for myself but to bring back to my community. To truly create a change for better in the community that I live in. Someone has to do it sooner or later. I will be that someone. Thank you, Sasha Esquiro