Hello, My name is Safiya (Sophia legally) Abdulkadir I am an immigrant from Somalia. Coming to the U.S. my family and I were refugees living in India to flee government instability. My parents are both disabled with my father that passed having polio and my mother being severely hard of hearing. Coming to a new world where we knew no one and had nothing came with so many challenges. However, it provided a unique perspective on the world around me. I was able to see how resilient and resourceful I could be. I had a global perspective on how little access most of the world has to things like education. I struggled a lot as my mother was not able to fully be a parent to me. This was due to the traumas she faced seeing civil war and being a disabled adult raising 5 kids alone. I knew she was trying her best but it undeniably caused me struggles. My mother relied on her children to be her "ears" in this foreign world. In the sense of translation but also as a support due to her disability. It was difficult to not have that parental support. I had no one to guide me for my future as our futures were going to be drastically different. So a struggle I am and continually rising above is creating a path no one in my family has taken. It's my burden to bear the needs of my mother while simultaneously navigating adulthood. My parents adulthood was strewn with loss of their home and families. They had no choice but to survive. So, that why it's my mission to thrive! My circumstance requires me to work full time since I was legally allowed to. I had to be an adult from a young age navigating government documents and medical papers for my family. Nevertheless I refuse to be a victim to my circumstances. I simply see these struggles as a chance to seek support from unique sources. I know that I can do it because of all the resilience and bravery of the people around me. Through this I have turned struggle into strength. I have not been granted the same chances in life as my peers; whether that be due to poverty or refugee status. This is my strength because I know how lucky I am I know the lives of those who can't get an education. Who can't strive for more due to lack of basic needs. So I remain grateful and hopeful that I can use my perspective and education to change that for others especially young women globally.