Personal Statement As we packed our belongings in our car a million thoughts were running through my mind.

Is dad going to come and stop us? Are we going to be okay? My mother was reassuring us with purple bruises on her arms. I was confused and frustrated. ow could my father hit my mother because of a silly reason? ow?! My brother" my only brother at that time was so scared. I ser#ed as his shoulder to cry on in the car. Staying strong for him and my mother was my main priority. $ime passed and my mother forga#e my father. $he hatred and wrath I had towards my father did not change and it still hasn%t. I do not hold a grudge against him. I do not hold grudges at all. &ntil this day he #erbally abuses my mother. 'ot as much as before" but it still happens. I ser#e as my mother%s defendant and my ( brothers% strength. My mother came from a family of ) siblings and a single mother was only able to attend school until the *th grade. My father ne#er attended school+ he worker in the fields with my grandfather. ,oth my parents ga#e up on their dream of recei#ing a full education. I told myself at a young age that will ne#er be like them in that aspect. School is my main priority. -rades" grades. All I see and hear are grades. .rom a young age I was e/pected to recei#e a 0Student of the Month% award by my parents. 'ot 1ust by them though" but by myself also. $hrough the struggles I learned how to moti#ate myself and push myself to e/cel in school. $hroughout my middle school years I began to reali2e who I was. My eyes began to open out of my shell. I had put myself in a bubble during all of those years. Middle school made me start to think about who I whom my friends were going to be and who I was going to flourish into. I kept my academics sky high. onor rolls" certificates" recognitions. $hat%s what I aspired for. 3nce I entered high school I noticed how that was another ball game. 4rama began in my life once again but this time" with friends I had attained. Soon I reali2ed how they affected me academically. I ne#er let my guard down though. $he yearly tradition of recei#ing those recognitions I worked hard for did not stop" and I would not let them stop. Making my parents proud is the most ama2ing feeling in the world. &p until now" my 1unior year in high school" I am a straight A student. Maybe sometimes a , slips in there but hey" still a good grade isn%t it?

'ow that I look ahead towards my future" I ha#e accomplished so much and know I will reach my goals. I plan to attend the &ni#ersity of 5alifornia 6i#erside . I ha#e heard their history on the medical field courses they offer. My aspiration of becoming a doctor has ne#er left my mind. $he thought of possibly finding a cure for cancer makes me get -oosebumps. People tell me I am cra2y when I say I will find the cure for cancer but" I bet that ,en1amin .ranklin was a cra2y guy for the way he figured out how electricity worked. $he thought of my mother not ha#ing someone to defend her makes me ha#e second thoughts on lea#ing so far away from home. ,ut then I think and I know that my brothers will protect her. I ha#e shown them how to stay strong and stand their ground" 1ust like how their big sister stays strong and stand her ground. I may not be able to tell you where I will be * years from now" but I can tell you that I will be following my dreams and aspirations. I can tell you that I will o#ercome any cur#eball life throws at me with a huge smile on my face.