I'm a Dominican with a dream, a dream that has transcended my culture and even the authority that my parents have over me. If you know any Dominican family you know how deep our respect for our elders goes, let alone our parents. My dad has expressed his disapproval for my career choice on countless occasions even going to the extremes of calling me a "failure". Anyone else would have given in to their old man's wish but not me. All the hardships I've endured on my own have left scars that would haunt me if I were to follow a miserable path simply because of my cultural norms. I cannot ignore their scream of defiance that, at the end of the day, helped me push through all the rock bottoms I've hit. These scars have taught me to live following a famous french saying, c'est la vie, that's life. If I can't control or can't help it, I just have to power through. I've grown to understand that simply everything can't go your way. Therefore, what does it matter if you lose one battle but still manage to win the war? I plan to use all these life lessons that have changed the way I see the world to be the best version of myself. As I go into college and pursue my career as an Aerospace Engineer, one of the hardest branches of engineering out there, I will take on every challenge I face head on with the hope of achieving my dream of being a pioneer in space travel. I often find myself thinking about the following quote, “We are the middle children of history. Born too late to explore earth, born too early to explore space” -anonymous. While I might in fact be just in the middle of history, I want to be the bridge that allows humanity to take that extra step. A step that would allow us to surpass our limits. Even if I die without being recognized, the mere fact of being able to contribute to such a noble cause would be enough to make it all worth it. It is so mesmerizing to think that I, a nobody from the slums of Santo Domingo, could actually help change the world as we know it by consistently putting in tremendous effort.